Fresh Tomato-Basil Dipping Sauce
This tasty and light tomato dipping sauce recipe has long been a favorite for entertaining at our house. It's quick, looks great and, when served with crudités such as blanched radishes, celery or carrot sticks, crisp cucumber spears or cauliflower flowerets along with bread it creates a welcome cocktail-hour snack for those who need to keep weight control in mind and blood glucose levels down.
I usually start thinking about ways to use tomatoes when the good local tomatoes arrive (August and September in Maine) since, apart from the taste and texture issues, I don't like to buy food that has to be trucked or flown long distances to get to my table. But Backyard Farm in Madison, Maine, Olivia's Garden in New Gloucester and several other local farms – all less than a hundred miles from my kitchen – have changed the equation with their year-round greenhouse operations. I made this batch of sauce from some absolutely beautiful Backyard Farms beefsteaks that looked, smelled and tasted just like their late summer cousins. Now if someone would put a cornfield under glass life would truly be sweet.
By the way, you might want to double the recipe, because this is a great leftover to have in the fridge. There are dozens of uses for it other than as a dip. Smear it on the bread instead of mayonnaise when making a sandwich and save hundreds of calories. Or serve it with rutabaga "fries," as a garnish for a bowl of creamed soup, or in a dollop on top of a scrambled or poached breakfast egg, a grilled chicken breast or a knot of spaghetti squash. Versatile, tasty and easy to make, this sauce is a real winner.
Fresh Tomato-Basil Dipping Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup of sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut in quarters
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Minced parsley or fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Method
1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée on high at least 3 minutes. Correct seasoning.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutritional Estimate: 12 Servings, 1 tablespoon each. Per serving: 9 Calories; 1 g Total Carbs; 0 g Dietary Fiber; 1 g Sugars; 0.5 g Fat; 0 mg Cholesterol; 37 mg Sodium; 0.5 g Protein. Weight Watchers: 0 points.
Comments
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I'm a sucker for sauces and spreads and dips, and this recipe looks like something I could easily become addicted to - so simple, yet so easy to devour the entire bowl.
I can't believe you have decent local tomatoes already - I'm so jealous! :)
Posted by: Farmgirl Susan | April 27, 2010 at 04:46 PM
Hey Stephen. I'm with Farmgirl. Dips go fast in my home. This looks great and so easy. I'm going to make it this week. Thanks!
Posted by: Tv Food and Drink | April 27, 2010 at 10:48 PM
Well I just pulled out a well-chilled bowl of your dipping sauce from my fridge and am enjoying it as we speak. Fantastic! My thank you blog post will come soon!
Posted by: Tv Food and Drink | April 29, 2010 at 09:43 PM