Day Four

On today's menu: Lima Bean Skordalia.

I had never heard of it either until I worked at the cheese counter at The Pasta Shop in Berkeley, CA. This dip was one of my favorite things there.

Generally when I say the word 'dip' bad things come to mind: Ruffles potato chips, lactose intolerance, football.... But this one is totally legitimate, perfect to serve to vegetarians and carnivores alike, and was super simple to make. So today I'm trying to replicate it at home 'cause The Pasta Shop is 50 minutes away and a 1/2 pint of the green stuff is $5. The recipe below will yield twice as much for about $6.50, depending on the quality of olive oil you use.

I found this recipe at Epicurious.com: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Lamb-with-Lima-Bean-Skordalia-2063

What's needed:

20 minutes & approximately $6.50 for the dip

1 pack frozen Lima beans
3/4 - 1 cup olive oil (I am using Extra Virgin, but a lighter one would work well too)
3 cloves garlic
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

colorful veggies




I start by steaming the Lima beans for approximately 12 minutes. Once they are tender I throw them into a Cuisinart. Now both the recipe and the instructions on the back of the package mention nothing about removing the bean skins, so since this seems like an 8.5 on the scale of tedium I puree with the skins on. I add the garlic, about a cup of olive oil, and the lemon juice. I taste, then add salt, then puree some more.

I end up with a pretty thick dip, but the addition of more olive oil or even a touch of water might make it a less mashed potato-like consistency. But it is good. Really good.

Vibrantly colored veggies look amazing next to the bright green dip. I use pink and red radishes, those multi-colored carrots sometime available at the farmer's market, yellow and orange bell peppers, etc.