If your life is like mine, the holiday season means a calendar that’s jammed for six weeks with a series of parties and get-togethers where the main event is eating, eating, maybe some gift-giving, and then some more eating. This also means we spend a fair amount of time beforehand cooking, baking, and asking “What […]
If your life is like mine, the holiday season means a calendar that’s jammed for six weeks with a series of parties and get-togethers where the main event is eating, eating, maybe some gift-giving, and then some more eating. This also means we spend a fair amount of time beforehand cooking, baking, and asking “What can I bring?” (often followed by “Why did I eat so much?!”). Here’s a tasty new solution to the first question. If you’re a fan of dips (and who isn’t?), this homemade Five-Onion Dip is great way to serve up a popular dish that folks are familiar with, but better than ever. Why settle for dehydrated powder from a packet of soup mix when you could saute up your own homemade, fragrant, and flavorful base?
In our homemade onion dip, we use five types of onions (Vidalia, yellow, shallots, leeks, and garlic), which are sauteed very slowly until the natural sugars caramelize. Then, a trusty pint of sour cream does what it always does — makes everything taste even better. Using the stove takes a little longer than simply stirring the soup mix into the sour cream, and you’ll need a large skillet to hold all of the onion-y goodness while it cooks, but the end result is worth the wait.
Caramelized onions ready to become dip! Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
The food processor is a handy tool for taking those beautiful, cooked onions and breaking them d0wn into perfect dip-friendly, bit-sized flecks, but, but when I added the sour cream as written (right into the food processor), my dip came out with a thinner consistency than I would have liked. I found that, for me, it worked better to fold in the sour cream by hand with a rubber spatula. If you like things a little bit chunky, you may choose to do the same.
Pulsed to perfection. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Chill the finished dip in the fridge for a few hours, then serve with potato chips or even crackers. Be sure to sneak a taste first to make sure the ratio of salt and pepper is perfect, then watch your guests marvel at the fantastic homemade flavor!
Homemade Five-Onion Dip Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Have you ever made homemade onion dip? Do you have a favorite appetizer or dip recipe during the holiday season? Let us know!
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
