SUPER BOWL? SUPER DIPS. (2024)

By the time my TV-toting friend wheezed his way to my third-floor apartment midway through the second quarter, the assembled fans were visibly agitated and the Broncos were getting obliterated. We are still good friends, but I learned a valuable lesson: The secret to Super Bowl party success is in the details.

Since then, I plan ahead. I make sure the TV is there before the guests arrive, and I offer lots of dips and dippers to keep everyone happy. Guests like the variety, and I actually get to watch the game instead of slaving away in the kitchen making canapes to pass around.

To keep things interesting, put out both warm and cool dips with a variety of tasty dippers (not just chips, but breads, veggies and crackers).

Concern about fat consumption means that at least some of your dips should be low-fat. Salsas, of course, are naturally low in fat. Fat can be substantially reduced in other dips by substituting, either completely or partially, low-fat or nonfat cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, ricotta and yogurt cheese (drain yogurt overnight in a sieve).

And remember, nobody expects you to make them all yourself. Many grocery and specialty store delis sell hummus, layered dips, lentil pate and other ethnic spreads.

The following dip recipes and dipper tips are crowd-rousers zesty enough to distract attention from the game just long enough to realize how addictively delicious they are. THINGS TO DUNK AND DIP WITH Offer your guests some change-of-pace dippers:

Crispy ethnic flatbreads, including lavosh (large, crispy flatbread) broken into small pieces.

Soft, thin breads including fresh tortillas, pita breads and lefse (the triangular Scandinavian version of tortillas made from potatoes). These can be served plain or lightly crisped in the oven. You also can toast thin slices of bagels until crisp.

Crusty breads including hearth-baked loaves and focaccia cut into small squares.

Unusual ethnic crackers, including Asian shrimp crackers and others. Change-of-pace vegetables, including fennel (lightly steamed), jicama (peeled and sliced into thin, small chips and splashed with lime juice), white daikon radish (peeled and cut into thin chips) and seedless English cucumber (cut in rounds).

Skip the potato chips (too boring, unless you make them yourself); instead, serve other packaged vegetable chips.

Slices and chunks of cooked sausage, kielbasa and smoked ham.

Pita triangles: Cut fresh pita breads into quarters and separate into triangular pieces. Brush each piece lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees until lightly browned and crisp. Pita chips can also be seasoned with various spices before baking. GUMP DIP (Makes about 3 cups)

As an inveterate -- or is it invertebrate? -- shrimp fan, I found the film "Forrest Gump" worth seeing simply for the scene where Gump details the many, glorious ways to serve shrimp. This is my variation on classic shrimp dip.

1 pound raw medium shrimp

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil (use seafood boil spice mixture if desired). Add the shrimp and boil for 3 minutes, or until shrimp have all turned pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK AND TURN THEM INTO RUBBER! Peel and devein the shrimp and then chop them, but not too finely. Combine shrimp with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for several hours in a covered serving bowl. Serve with fresh celery sticks and baked pita chips, with a bottle of Louisiana-style hot sauce on the side.

Per tablespoon: 36 calories, trace carbohydrates, 21 mg cholesterol, 49 mg sodium, 2 gm protein, 3 gm fat, 1 gm saturated fat

SALSA FRESCA (Makes 5 to 6 cups)

Janos Wilder developed his taste for spicy food in the mountains of Colorado before studying in France and opening the award-winning Janos restaurant in Tucson. Here's his full-flavored-but-not-painful recipe for Salsa Fresca from "Janos -- Recipes and Tales from a Southwest Restaurant" (Ten Speed Press, 1989). You should be able to find the fresh peppers in many supermarkets and specialty food stores. Ripe tomatoes are difficult to find this time of year, so you may want to substitute cherry or Roma tomatoes.

6 medium ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 bunch scallions (green onions), finely diced

1 Anaheim chili, peeled,* seeded and diced

1/2 poblano chili, peeled,* seeded and diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (you may substitute an additional tablespoon red wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients, mix well and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Serve with corn chips or baked pita triangles.

* NOTE: To peel fresh peppers, roast them over an open flame or in the oven until blackened. Once blackened, place them in a plastic bag to steam for 10 minutes. The blackened skin should then peel off easily.

Per tablespoon: 8 calories, 1 gm carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, trace protein, trace fat, trace saturated fat

WARM THREE-CHEESE DIP (Makes about 3 cups)

Many World War II-era American cookbooks included a recipe for Welsh Rarebit, also known as Ring Tum Ditty, which is a lot more fun to say. This basic comfort food is a cheese sauce, frequently with tomatoes added, that is poured over toast points, a sort of culinary ancestor to the now ubiquitous cheesy nachos. No processed American cheese product is involved.

4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream or half & half

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne or white pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded, chopped and drained

2 tablespoons sherry or dark ale

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan and stir in flour until well blended. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to a low simmer and slowly whisk in cream. Add the 3 cheeses, along with the pepper, salt and mustard, stirring until mixture is smooth. DO NOT BOIL! Add tomatoes and sherry or ale and stir gently. Thin with more cream if too thick. Add more cheddar if too thin. Serve warm with toast points made from fresh rye bread. Keep warm with double-boiler, Sterno or hot plate.

This dip is best made right before serving.

Per tablespoon: 46 calories, 1 gm carbohydrates, 15 mg cholesterol, 33 mg sodium, 1 gm protein, 4 gm fat, 3 gm saturated fat

WARM ACORN SQUASH DIP (Makes about 3 cups)

Pureed acorn or butternut squash provides a low-fat base for a warm winter dip. Serve this dish -- adapted from "First Impressions" (Morrow, 1992) by Betty Rosbottom -- with wedges of apple and chunks of sausage.

1 large acorn or butternut squash (about 2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cut the unpeeled squash in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side down in a microwave-proof dish with 1/2 inch water. Microwave the squash until very tender, about 15 minutes on high power. Or bake in a conventional oven at 350 degrees for 90 minutes or until tender.

When the squash is just cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and place in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or in a blender. Process until very smooth, about 20 seconds or so. Add the salt, curry powder, pepper and bouillon granules and process to blend. Add sour cream and butter and process for an additional 10 seconds. The dip can be made a day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, place the dip in a medium-size heavy saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until hot, or heat in the microwave. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with apple or pear wedges (slice them at the last moment to avoid browning) and slices of kielbasa or cooked sausage. Kielbasa can be warmed in the microwave. Slices of canned Boston brown bread are also good with this dip.

Per tablespoon: 13 calories, 1 gm carbohydrates, 2 mg cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, trace protein, 1 gm fat, 1 gm saturated fat

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN DIP (Makes about 4 cups)

12 large cloves peeled garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup cooked, drained bacon or smoked ham

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

32 ounces (2 16-ounce cans) cannellini* beans, drained

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth

FOR THE GARNISH:

Ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded, peeled and chopped

Freshly grated Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peeled garlic cloves on a piece of aluminum foil, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and wrap tightly. Roast on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes and set aside.

Put remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add bacon, onion, sage and thyme. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are transparent and beginning to brown. Add roasted garlic cloves and their oil and then mix in beans, salt and pepper. Slowly add broth, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, until dip has semi-smooth consistency. Dip may be served warm or cool. Flavor is best if made one day ahead.

Garnish with chopped ripe Roma tomatoes, preferably peeled, and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Spread on chunks of focaccia.

* NOTE: Great Northern or other soft white beans may be substituted.

Per tablespoon: 24 calories, 3 gm carbohydrates, 1 mg cholesterol, 27 mg sodium, 1 gm protein, 1 gm fat, trace saturated fat