One of the nicest things in life is to have friends over, and sit and talk over a glass of wine. And, of course, have something to nibble on. Sometimes it’s a pleasure to prepare something special and elaborate just for the occasion. Sometimes it’s just not possible! Maybe you worked late, or the guests were a pleasant surprise. Maybe you’d rather just sit and talk, and not fuss over making food. This is the dip for those occasions. It’s quick as can be, to prepare, but it tastes quite complicated, and is addictively good. It has white beans blended with almonds, garlic, capers and herbs. It’s vegan, though nice and creamy. I usually have wheat tortillas in the house, because they’re also useful for quick meals. If you slice these up into cracker-sized pieces and toast them till they’re lightly brown and crispy – voila! You have something to dip! This would also make a nice sauce for roasted vegetables. I want to keep this as quick as the dip, so that’s all I’ll say about that!

Here’s Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings with The Dap Dip

1 plump clove of garlic (or more if you like it garlicy) – toasted till it’s soft and the skin starts to brown (Make a cut in the skin so it doesn’t explode in your toaster oven!)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 t rosemary
1/2 t basil
1 t capers
1/2 t green peppercorns
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup parsley leaves
salt and plenty of ground black pepper

Combine the almonds and garlic in the blender and process till it’s crumbly. Add all of the herbs. Process again. Add everything else, and process until it’s just as smooth as you like it. You’ll probably need to add some water to make it blendable and thin it out a bit.