CUISINE & CULTURE
|
ANGELINA@ANGELINALARUE.COM
The holidays are ringing in good times and party food. It’s good to have go-to recipes and ideas ready to grace our tables as we welcome friends and family to celebrate.
Long before we were making charcuterie boards or knew that crudité means a platter of raw veggies served with dip, we were making cheese balls or cheese logs. While there are many that can be purchased premade, I always prefer the freshness of ones that are homemade.
My family used to wrap homemade cheese balls and logs in wax paper to hand out to friends around Christmas time. They make lovely gifts that folks can have on hand when people stop by.
Someofthecheeseballsandcheese logs we prepared were made with an Old English cheddar-base and rolled inpaprika,andothersweremadewith cream cheese and rolled in chopped pecans.
I recall my very first contribution to a holiday family gathering as a young adult was a cheese ball I personally made in my tiny apartment kitchen. I felt very accomplished.
Cheese balls and cheese logs make a beautiful presentation. But I also like the idea of a cheese ball “dip.” It’s basically the same thing but just a different way to present it. The dip is served with an array of fresh-cut raw vegetables, an assortment of crackers, or even in a bread bowl, spreading the chunks of scooped out bread with the dip.
Enjoy the holiday festivities, and enjoy food made fresh!
Cheese Ball Dip
1 cup chopped pecans, divided 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened 4 scallions, trimmed 1/3 cup chopped black olives* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pecans onto a shallow baking dish. Toast for approximately 7 minutes in the preheated oven, watching closely to ensure they do not overcook. Set aside to cool.
Cream cheese can rest at room temperature to soften while preparing the other ingredients.
Thinly slice the scallions, using all the white portion, and most of the green portion.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together cream cheese, 1/2 cup toasted and cooled chopped pecans, scallions, black olives, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until each ingredient is fully incorporated.
Place mixture into a serving dish and cover with plastic wrap. When ready to serve, top with the remaining halfcup chopped toasted pecans.
Place the dish on a serving platter and arrange veggies and crackers to serve.
Optionally, the dip can be placed into a bread bowl, which can be made by hollowing out a small, round loaf of bread, (or large dinner rolls), saving the chunks of bread you remove to serve with the dip.
*Black olives can be replaced with finely diced ham, or a small jar of dried beef that has been finely diced, for a “meatier” version.
Angelina LaRue, author of “The Whole Enchilada: Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine,” grew up at White River Lake, lives in Idalou and writes a weekly food column for local newspapers.
