I was put on appetizer duty for a friend’s barbecue today.  She wanted to solve the problem of the appetizer table that sits untouched while all her guests spread out around the yard talking and drinking.  She asked me to come with something more portable that people could take with them instead of being tethered to a table.

I came up with these little veggie dip cups.  I love them.  They’re colorful and healthy, and they completely avoid the whole communal dip in the sun issue.   I hate that.

I started with a dip version of my homemade Green Goddess Dressing.   I layered it at the bottom of each cup.

Then I julienned the most colorful bunch of veggies I could find.  Rainbow carrots, peppers, jicama, thin asparagus, English cucumber…anything that was crunchy and long enough to stack in the cup.  For vegetables like asparagus and green beans I blanched them in boiling water for just about 30 seconds to take the raw ‘edge’ off, and then put them into ice water to stop the cooking and keep their bright color.   Pop cherry tomatoes on the end of long toothpicks.

You could do this with any dip you want.  I almost went with a hummus, that would be great.  

Party Veggie Cups
8 oz clear plastic party tumblers (mine were about 3 1/2 inches high)
assorted colorful veggies:
asparagus
green beans
rainbow carrots
jicama
bell peppers
English (or Persian) cucumber
skinny green onions
sugar snap peas
cherry tomatoes to put on the end of long toothpicks
whatever else you like

• Peel and slice the veggies into sticks.  Cut them to a length where they will just peek out from the tops of your cups when stacked.
• For tough vegetables like the beans and asparagus,  plunge them in a pot of boiling salted water for about 30 seconds to a minute after it comes back to a boil.  Then put them directly into a bath of ice water to stop the cooking and retain their bright color.
• Layer a little dip on the bottom of each cup.  Then arrange an grouping of vegetable sticks on top.  Keep cold and covered with a damp paper towel until ready to serve. 

Green Goddess Dip
1/3 cup parsley leaves
1/3 cup fresh dill fronds
1/3 cup tarragon leaves
1/3 cup chives
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
1-2 tsp anchovy paste (optional but I recommend it)
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• Rinse your herbs well and put them in the bowl of a small food processor.  Run the machine until the herbs are finely mined, scraping down the sides as you go to get all the herbs completely processed.  This is going to give your dip that lovely pale green color.
• Add the lemon juice, garlic, and mayonnaise and continue processing until everything is blended well and there are no larger pieces of herbs left. You will still have to scrape down the sides.
• Add the yogurt, sour cream, goat cheese and anchovy paste.  Process until blended.
• Taste the dip, and add the salt and pepper.  Add extra lemon if needed. 

Notes:  If you prepare your vegetable sticks ahead of time, be sure to keep them wrapped in damp paper towels in the fridge or they will dry out.  Anchovy paste comes in a tube and lasts forever in the fridge.  It doesn’t taste ‘fishy’, and gives the dip a wonderful flavor. The paste and the tarragon are key to the Green Goddess experience.

Happy Fourth everyone!