Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Dip

You all know I love Ina Garten’s food from the series of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. I just think her recipes are great without a lot of tinkering to get them right. That being said, I tinkered.

I’ve loved her sun-dried tomato dip from the first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook but thought that it always needed a little perking up. Perhaps part of that came from the fact that I never added the amount of green onions the original recipe calls for. So when I volunteered to bring some veggies and dip to Angie’s craft day, I thought of this dip and I thought of all my basil growing in a pot on the back deck and the two collided in a tasty mix (similar to chocolate and peanut butter in a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup, but not). This is what I served up.

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Dip

• 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, drained and chopped finely (about 8 tomatoes)
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 5-10 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. pepper

Combine the tomatoes, basil, cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Serve with veggies, crackers, etc. Makes 2 cups

Once you taste it, you’ll have no problem imagining other tasty possibilities. Such as on a BLT. I tried that last night and I think the heavens may have parted and I heard singing. It was that creamy, tangy, salty, smoky, juicy, crispy good.