Saturday, November 15, 2008

For the Trashbags


Trashdip! So named not because I'm a trashbag (although maybe I am) but because back-in-the-day we used to eat this a lot and sometimes if too many beers were drunk it was considered to be dinner. Trash dinner. Trashbags. Um... join me?

Trash dip.

What you need:
1 avocado
1 lime (can use a lemon instead if you prefer)
salt, pepper
300ml tub of sour cream (doesn't matter if it's a bit smaller)
1 packet low salt taco seasoning (it's the powdered stuff)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin peeled tomatoes
1 onion chopped roughly
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tomato finely diced
3 shallots (green onions) finely sliced
3/4 cup grated tasty cheese
chopped fresh (flat leaf) parsley
something for dipping - corn chips, water crackers are my recommendations

What you do with it:
That list of ingredients up there sounds long and complex, but really it's all very easy.

1. Make up the beans in advance as they need time to cool. The night before you want to eat trash dip is helpful. Fry the onions in the olive oil until soft, add the garlic and drained chickpeas and kidney beans and heat through. Now add about 1 tbsp of your taco seasoning and the tin of peeled tomatoes, some cracked pepper and salt to taste. Mix it all up and add a bit of water if it looks too thick. Cook this down a while until it's thickened. It doesn't need long, 5-10 minutes maybe? Leave to cool and then put into the fridge until you need it.

2. Make the sour cream layer. Mix your tub of sour cream and 1tbs of the taco seasoning. Taste it and keep adding as much taco seasoning as needed until it tastes yummy and taco-ey but not too over powering. Just so you know I usually get at least 2 trash dips total out of 1 packet of seasoning. Put this in the fridge to set before assembling the dip.

3. Make your guacamole layer. Mash the avocado with the juice of half a lime and salt and pepper. Add more seasoning or lime if needed. If you need to store the guacamole for a couple of hours or over night before serving, best to add extra lime juice.

4. Now, time to assemble your masterpiece. Best to work with all the dip layers cold from the fridge. Spread the beans across a platter or dinner plate. Spoon the guacamole on top of the beans


and gently spread it out almost to the edge of the beans but leave some beans to be seen. It's dip art, darlink.

Now do the same with the sour cream layer.


Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, then the tomato, then the shallots and finally scatter the parsley.

Now eat the dip, you Trashbag.


PS A final word on the ingredients. This is trash dip and, really, if you're going to do this dip you need to do it justice and for that I really must insist that you use full fat ingredients. Watery, low-fat sour cream just does not cut it here. I will allow you to use low fat grated cheese if you really must, but you'll only be considered a half-arsed trashbag OK.

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