Chipotle & Black Bean Dip

Behold, my new favorite dip. I’m pretty sure it will be yours, too.

I know it will be Nick’s! With chipotle olive oil, black beans, fresh lime juice and chilis in adobo, we are on our way to a dip so delicious it’s sure to entice even our busiest kids to sit and snack and visit long enough to share some stories and maybe even fit a couple hands of Rummy in. Is it trickery? Perhaps. I’m doing it anyway.

I was inspired to make this recipe after visiting my new favorite olive oil store…Saratoga Olive Oil Company. Have you been there? We’ll talk more about it as the days go on, I promise…

Back to the dip – after a full week of lax in Lake Placid, Dom and I stole a few hours in the village, on our final day, while the kids were chillin’ at Snowshoe. We got our morning fix of caffeine, along with a thick slice of lemon poppy seed bread to share, from a sweet little coffee shop that does business out of a 1920’s house painted pink with purple shutters. Once inside, patrons are greeted by a creaky mahogany staircase and gold velvet wall paper; its over-the-top eclectic charm had us at hello. We took our cups-a-joe and buttery bread and made our way to a wooden bench set on a hilltop overlooking Mirror Lake. It was from this perch that we noticed the olive oil shop that would soon become our next stop.

You might think that after our sweet morning nosh the thought of tasting oils, vinegars and salts would be out of the question…it was not. We tried olive oils flavored with basil, blood orange, tarragon, meyer lemon, and rosemary; and tasted balsamic vinegars infused with fig, raspberry, cranberry and mango, along with exotic sea salts containing flavors like smoked bacon, rosemary and truffle…heavenly.

Upon our return home from the tournament, I was excited to try a new recipe using one of our infused oils. And since Nick loves his Mexican food, Chipotle & Black Bean Dip was a perfect place to start. It contains flavors and aromas that tip their hat to Mexico. Peppery spice and black beans, hot chilis in smoky adobo, warmth from the cumin plus the citrus-y tang of the lime…this dip will have you dancin’. I modified Saratoga’s recipe slightly by substituting cumin for coriander and parsley for cilantro. They were perfect replacements. However, for those of you who enjoy the flavor of cilantro, I’ll include the measures for the original recipe, as well. 🙂

Begin by heating the chipotle olive oil over medium heat.

 

 

Add the green onions and *cumin and sauté until soft for about three minutes. (*You can use 2 tsp. of cumin and 2 tsp. of coriander or 1 heaping Tbsp. of cumin.)

 

 

Next, add the beans and 1/3 cup of water. Let simmer for seven minutes.

 

 

Remove the beans from the heat and let cool for five minutes.

Put the beans, lime juice, chipotle chilis in adobo, kosher salt, sour cream and minced *parsley in a food processor. (*You can use 1/2 cup minced cilantro instead of parsley.)

Process until almost smooth.

 

 

Drizzle a small amount of the chipotle olive oil over top and serve with herb crackers or corn chips.

 

 

 

 

Now break out those cards and enjoy!

Buon Appetito!

 

 

Memories of Lax Placid 2014…

 

The Lake Placid Classic celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year and it was obvious that the athletes came to play, both on the field and off! It was a special event shared by players, families and friends… Lauren came up early in the week and had fun capturing many ‘Kodak moments’ while Chels came later to cheer Nick’s team on as the tournament wound to a close.

It was a great week!

Ciao!