A Legacy – Almond Dip

When Jacob and Ariana were graduating from high school and moving away to attend college, I was contemplating my mortality. Top among my concerns was the thought that if I died, my children would no longer be able to enjoy many of the dishes they grew up eating; the recipes would go to the grave with me. Morbid, but too important to ignore. Since I have read so many stories of people missing the food of their youth when parents and grandparents pass on, I decided that I would document all my recipes so that they could cook them as they moved out on their own and if I was no longer there to prepare them. Family recipes are a legacy, an inheritance, and a critical part of tradition, too important to be lost.

I contemplated the best method to complete this task, knowing it would not be easy. The quickest way would be to make sure that everything was included in an old index card box I started when I was young. A little old fashioned, but I could write them out on 3 X 5 cards. I would send a photo of the card when they requested it as they learned to cook for themselves and their friends, and they would always have them after I died. However, I’ve learned from searching through my grandmother’s recipes that ink fades, cards stain, and directions are often unclear. For example, the list of ingredients on one of her cards call for a “glass” of oil. Without knowing the exact vessel that she used to measure, I could not be assured of getting the volume correct. Frustrating.

Another possibility was to start a three-ring binder and type up directions to prepare every dish I’ve made. Handy, no doubt, although it suffers from the same problems as a recipe box. I had to figure out a better method.

Finally, after a lot of consideration, I decided to start this food blog. I learned how to design and run a website. I studied how to write a recipe that could be easily followed. I practiced taking photos of all that I cooked. I realized I needed to stage items on a plate to make them look more appetizing. I gathered my recipes and decided on the ones I thought would peak my children’s interest the most. And eight years ago this month, I posted my first recipe – Spicy Asian Noodle Soup.

At the beginning I posted only the recipe, perhaps with a brief blurb about it. A few times I talked about my garden since it is essential to the way I cook. Over time, as I wrote out the steps to prepare each dish, I realized that for many of the recipes I had a memory or story to recount; something important to my life. I could document the tales that go along with each dish, sharing anecdotes – some humorous, some nostalgic, some poignant – so my children would remember and for others to enjoy as well. As a result, this blog has evolved to where it is today. I am still writing eight years later, posting a recipe with a story roughly every other week, recollecting my thoughts, and documenting my memories for my children and others.

Of course I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I still have more recipes to share and tales to tell. After posting close to 300 recipes over eight years, I achieved my goal of documenting many dishes that I cook and my children have enjoyed. Of course, when my time comes and Jacob and Ariana are cleaning out my belongings, I hope they don’t discard my recipe box and three-ring binders too quickly. They are likely to contain recipes I didn’t get to post that I wouldn’t want them to be without. I hope my children – and their children after them – will use what I have written to remember me, cook, and eat well.

Almond Dip

Just as I want my children to appreciate the recipes that I pass on to them, I cherish the recipes that my father, mother, and grandmother passed on to me. This almond dip is one such example. My father would make it for guests and to take to friends if they were invited to a party. It is similar in ways to hummus, but the almonds impart a unique flavor that sets it apart.

I remember as a kid helping my father to blanch almonds by boiling them briefly so the nuts would easily slip out of their skin. To make this recipe quicker and easier, I now skip this step, buying almonds that have already been blanched. In almost no time, I have a healthy, delicious dip ready to serve my guests.

15 minutes, makes about 1 cup

1 cup blanched almonds

2 Tbsp. tahini

juice of 1 lemon, more to taste

½ tsp. sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt, more to taste

½ tsp. ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed, more to taste

¼ cup ice cold water, more as needed

pita or vegetables to dip

1. Place blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse until nuts are in very fine pieces, but before it turns into a nut butter.
2. Add remaining ingredients and process, adding more water a tablespoon at a time as needed until it forms a smooth, dippable paste.
3. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, or garlic to match your preference.
4. Serve with cut pita or vegetables to dip.

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