30.6.08

Fake-dukkah dip

I´ve spent the weekend in Galicia, or rather, on the train, which takes all of eight hours to get there, and eight back. Rather cuts into the w/end, and it made us late for the game yesterday, but never mind. Spain won the European football championship, and aren´t we all glad to have passed a pretty sleepless night from all the shouting and singing.

If your team gets to the final (which Spain never had in years and years) you have to see six matches. You´ll probably see some of those with friends, and some will be at their place and some will be at yours. So you´ll be called upon to produce some kind of nibble to quiet the nerves and settle the stomach of the nervous fan.

Here´s a quick dip I made for the semifinals against Russia. I had Greek yogurt and I had cucumber, but no mint, my usual default combo. My dukkah tin has been empty for months, and though I´ve been meaning to mix up a batch, it´s clearly become one of those things I mean to do but never will.
But in the rush to assemble everything before the game began, inspiration struck, and I came up with a quick and pretty tasty alternative.

Fake dukkah dip

Heat up a non-stick pan, and throw in a handful of sesame seeds, some crushed nuts, and a spoonful of a spice mix. I had a tin of Nomu´s
"Moroccan Rub", but I think anything that has cumin and herbs is a pretty safe bet. Toast this until it´s fragrant, then lay aside to cool a little while you grate and squeeze your peeled and deseeded cucumber.
Mix cucumber and spice mix into the yogurt, add salt and pepper to taste (maybe not too much, if you´ll be dipping salty potato chips), and try to enjoy the game.

13 comentarios:

ChichaJo dijo...

Woot! Congratulations Spain!!! My husband is a big fan so you can imagine...those games were 2:45am for us! Wish I had this delicious sounding dip instead of the nachos and cheese dip that the pub had...

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) dijo...

Ted and I watched the match yesterday, and as soon as it was over, I said to him, "Ximena will be celebrating!" And you were!!

xps dijo...

Pero qué bien trabajas con la fresca!!

Thermomixer dijo...

Congratulations to Spain. Great campaign. have you tried doing tzatziki in TMX? We have a recipe in the Aussie TMX book which I will try. It leaves skin on cucumber tho' - not good for me.

Anónimo dijo...

Congrats on the win! I was watching the game with a bunch of Germans, so we were obviously rooting for them, but I must say I think the most deserving team won. What a game!

lobstersquad dijo...

Jo: thanks, I´m so glad you were with Spain. and I bet the nachos were delicious.
Lydia: yep, that I was! I hope you enjoyed the match
Xps: no tanto
Thermomixer: thanks. I don´t chop veg in the Th. I find it makes slush out of watery things like cucumber, but if it´s good please tell me.
Ann: thanks! for once Spain played better AND won. never done the two at the same time in living memory.

Unknown dijo...

maybe I´m late for the answer time but, why did you get Galicia by train?

Antonio Tahhan dijo...

Hola, recién encontré tu blog y me encanta tu estilo y especialmente tus dibujos!! Yo soy adicto a esa salsa a base de yogurt y me la ando poniéndola sobre todas mis comidas. Con pollo o carne queda fuera de este mundo… uy, ahora me antoje…
Felicitaciones por el partido!!

Shaun dijo...

Ximena ~ The only problem I have with dukkah is this: the more I have, the faster it goes. Buying the ingredients in bulk is no fun either. Having said that, it is so great for cocktails at the beginning of a meal, along with chicken livers and bagna cauda. I like your quick approach when one is in a pinch. And to Spain: Congratulations on winning the World Cup!

Kay dijo...

Congratulations on the win and your fast-thinking on this recipe. I like your spontaneously creative cooking style and your artwork!

Pete dijo...

Great idea. Thks

Cupcake Goggles dijo...

Hi... I love your name. I've tagged you for a Meme. Check out my site for details.

PS - Can anyone join the Lobstersquad? Are they rivals with the Scubasquad?

Cupcake Goggles dijo...

Hello, I really like your site. I've tagged you for a Meme. Check out my site for details.

PS - Can anyone join the Lobstersquad? Are they rivals with the Scubasquad?

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