DIPSY DO
Celebrate New Year with a satisfying spread of dips
by Laura Crooks
Correspondent
The Spokesman-Review.com
December 29, 2004
Spokane's Fery Haghighi, who owns Fery's Catering and often is credited with introducing the
area to exotic ethnic flavors, says dips are perfect for parties and can be made with so little effort.
She suggests starting with three healthful dips made from eggplant, yogurt cheese and garbanzo
beans.
To prepare a simple eggplant dip, Haghighi says roast an eggplant until the skin falls off easily.
Chop the eggplant into small dice. Add some chopped tomato, a little garlic that's been sautéed
in a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and, if desired, cilantro, a dash of cumin or
even cayenne. For a smoother dip, puree the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Haghighi suggests serving it with pita bread or veggies.
But an even better veggie dip can be made with yogurt cheese, she says. Take a carton of plain
yogurt, dump it into a cheesecloth-line strainer (or use paper towels if you don't have
cheesecloth). Place it over a bowl and let all the liquid drain from the yogurt for a couple of hours.
When a thick yogurt cheese remains, mix in some fresh mint, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt and
pepper. "This is wonderful with vegetables, especially cucumbers," Haghighi says. And, she
encourages home cooks to experiment with different seasonings to fit their own tastes.
Her third suggestion is making a simple hummus. But she says, "You need to have good tahini.
If you don't have good tahini, don't make it." Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame
seeds.
To make the hummus, puree garbanzo beans, a drop or two of olive oil, garlic, cumin and stir in
some feta cheese. Garnish with a little cilantro and serve with Haghighi's favorite, jicama slices.
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