7 Layer Dip & Homemade Tortilla Chips

Before I get into tonight's special New Year's edition of Cogito Ergo Nom, I want to inform you all of something I recently discovered while on the phone with my mom.

The other night, I made chicken fried rice, which involved fresh ginger root. Remember that mandrake-looking thing?

Well, it turns out, if you only need a small portion, you don't have to buy a whole root! It is totally okay to break off a piece before you purchase it because it hardens right back up!* How's that for a money-saving tip? Thanks, Mom!

(*Edited for clarification)

Okay, now that's out of the way, let's party.

Happy 2011, friends! Man, I don't know about you but I'm so glad this holiday season is over. It seems like there was an excess of food this year. Everyone skipped out on Halloween (leaving me with 2 bags of uneaten Mounds) but totally threw themselves headfirst into Thanksgiving and Christmas like a suicidal lemming.

Anyone remember this game?

Last night was the night, however, that usually we forgo the copious amounts of food and replace all of that with BOOZE. For me, it just means I was cuddling up with a bottle of this:

Don't hate.

Anyway, while you're getting blitzed into oblivion - whether it's New Year's Eve or St. Patrick's Day (coming soon!) or Spring Break (also coming soon!), don't let that aggressive hangover the next morning totally kill the first day of 2011. You want to be able to enjoy your sweet, delicious (calorific) pancake breakfast at IHOP without wanting to murder the child screaming like its diaper is on fire in the booth behind you with a butter knife, don't you? Save yourself the pain. Get some food in your system sooner rather than later!

Our friend Colleen has been throwing a New Year's Eve bash at her apartment for the past few years, always doing the responsible thing and providing cheese and crackers, chips and dip, buffalo wings and pizza rolls - as well as rum, triple sec, vodka, whiskey, etc. Of course, this also leads to drunk Rock Band. Let me tell you, watching your very hammered friends trying to belt out a Beastie Boys song while under the influence is an experience you treasure forever.

Anyway, because I made a resolution to be more bold in the kitchen, I offered to add a little something to friend Colleen's New Year's Eve fare. It's something that is a rare treat, one that you usually only see during Superbowl parties - as elusive and delicious as watermelon in the dead of winter. When I unveiled this at the party last night, there were shouts of joy from every corner of the room. One of our friends announced that this dish was so delicious, he wanted to make love to it (okay, he didn't actually say "make love", but I'm trying to be PG-13 here).

7 LAYER DIP makes 15 servings
courtesy of Allrecipes.com

YOU WILL NEED...
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterrey Jack cheese blend
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 cup of guacamole
1 cup of salsa
1 (2.25 oz) can black olives, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red green onion

Now, you're in luck tonight because not only are you getting ONE recipe, you're technically getting THREE. Not only am I making the 7-Layer Dip, I'm going to be making my own guacamole for the dip AND my own tortilla chips.


GUACAMOLE makes approx. 2 cups

YOU WILL NEED...
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup minced red onion
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Salt to taste

NOTE: There are several different ways to make guacamole, this is just a very basic recipe. Other additions (like sour cream, jalapenos, scallions, tomatoes, cumin and cilantro or chocolate chips for all I care!) are totally up to you!

There's perfectly good off-the-shelf guacamole available at your local grocery store, but come on - nothing is as good when you make it yourself. And if you have a good blender/food processor, you really can't go wrong. Especially when avocados are on sale for a dollar each. Need I remind you that avocados might as well be an aphrodisiac?

GAZE UPON THE GLORY!!!

Making your own tortilla chips is scads easier than it sounds and they are a crowd pleaser - not to mention way healthier than any old bag that you'd find at the store. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error and sometimes you end up with inedible chips due to burning, but if I can whip out a batch of fresh tortilla chips in 10 minutes, you can too!


TORTILLA CHIPS
YOU WILL NEED...
6" corn tortillas (as many as you want - one 6" tortilla will yield 8 chips)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

I'm starting off with the chips, then the guacamole, then the dip. That's because this dip is mainly assembly, with very little cooking and is best served at room temperature.

First, we've got our ... what's it called, class? ...

MISE EN PLACE!!!

Gold Star!

For this recipe, you will also need access to a 5QT (at least) pot as well as a 9x13 casserole dish, a few plates covered with paper towels (as a landing spot for your chips), a slotted spoon and a blender/food processor (if you've got one, that is. If you don't, that's okay, we'll get to that).

Okay, we're going to start with the TORTILLA CHIPS.

1. Pour vegetable oil in the pot, about 2-3" deep, on high. While it's heating, cut your tortillas into eighths. (Because I'm taking these to a party, I'm making quite a large batch).

NOTE: My great friend Leslie, who is a student at the Institute of Culinary Education, taught me this great trick. Want to know if your oil is hot? Take a small piece of bread and dunk it into your oil. Does the oil bubble around the bread? If so, your oil is hot and ready for cookin'!

2. Once the oil is hot, VERY CAREFULLY drop (or spoon) some tortilla pieces in. Stir a little so that they cook evenly. Keep an eye on them. The hotter your oil is, the faster they will cook.

3. Once they turn your desired shade of brown, scoop them out with the slotted spoon onto a paper towel-covered plate.

4. Sprinkle with salt to taste!

Now, was that so hard? Seriously, was it? These chips are great for any and all occasions. I eat them with salsa, guacamole, hummus, and sometimes, if I have any leftover, I crumble them up and put them on a salad. Go ahead, have a tortilla chip - you deserve it.


Now, oh my goodness, hold onto your hats because it's GUACAMOLE TIME!!!

Clean up on aisle three

Remember when I said it's okay if you don't have a blender? It really is. Do you have a masher? No? That's okay. I'm sure you have a large spoon at least.

If you've never cooked with avocados before, here's a quick tutorial. First, avocados have that large inedible pit in the center of it, so you're going to want to get a good knife and cut the avocado lengthwise, around the pit. Pull the pieces apart.

 
Now here's the fun part: take your knife and (CAREFULLY) thwack the pit with the blade to get it wedged in there. Twist and remove!

There are two ways to get it out of the thick, leathery skin (which is also not edible), depending on what you need to do with it. You can either take a spoon and wedge it between the flesh and the skin, scooping it out like ice cream.

Or, you can slice it up into pieces while still in the skin before scooping it out.

I've shown you both ways in pictures so you can do what you're comfortable.

If you have a blender/food processor, toss in your newly prepared avocados, a quarter of the onion, the lemon or lime juice and the garlic. Pulse until it's pureed but still chunky. Add salt to taste, then stir in your cilantro and other seasonings (if using).

BEFORE

AFTER!

Ta-dah! Instant guacamole!

For those who lack a blender, here's what you get to do:


1. Smash the garlic cloves with the broad side of your knife, then finely mince. Scoop it into a medium bowl.


2. Cut the onion into quarters, mince one quarter. If you're using any other produce like jalapenos or tomato, mince those too. Add to the bowl, along with the avocado. Mash with a broad spoon or a potato masher until its pureed but still chunky.

3. Stir in lemon or lime juice and cilantro (if using). Add salt to taste. 


Like I said, this is a very basic recipe. If you get to the finalized product and decide, "Hey, you know what would make this? Some sour cream." Well, do it up! Think a little tomato would be perfect? Go ahead, chop some up and throw them in! Remember: RECIPES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN STONE! (I think I need to make a little graphic for that in the future)


Onto the BEST part: 7-Layer Dip *fanfare*

What I love about 7-Layer Dip is...it's got seven layers. DUH! Seven magical layers full of hope and promise. Each one as delectable as the last. It's like a giant taco without the cumbersome shell. That being said, I chose to treat this dip as a taco salad without the lettuce and sans the deep fried tortilla bowl -- by browning the meat in taco seasoning and using Mexican Taco cheese (an asadero and cheddar blend seasoned with taco spices) instead of Cheddar-Monterrey Jack.

1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Set aside to drain and cool at room temperature. If you're using taco seasoning, prepare as directed.

2. In a 9x13 serving pan, spread the refried beans on the bottom in a single layer

Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of the beans

 

Spread the ground beef on top of the layer of cheese

 Spread the sour cream onto the beef (this is a little more difficult than it sounds. Use a rubber spatula, just be patient and spread it slowly)

Spread the guacamole on top of the sour cream

Spread the salsa on top of the guacamole (now, here's where I made a boo-boo. I misread the directions and spread the cheese next. However, it did absolutely no harm to the dip, so if you prefer it this way, go ahead).

Finally, sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of the salsa (like I said, I effed up, so the salsa went on the top layer)

Now, we add the final layer! Sprinkle next the black olives:

Then add the chopped tomatoes

Finally, sprinkle the chopped onions and VOILA!

You have a perfectly delectable, quick & easy, crowd-pleasing 7 Layer Dip that's good for any sort of gathering! I already had several people ask me for the recipe after sampling this at the New Year's Eve party.

I'm not sure if my next post will arrive on Monday or Tuesday - it depends on whether or not my chuck roast defrosts in time. But the recipe will be French pot roast, slow-cooker style (courtesy of Cook This, Not That). This has always been one of my favorite meals and I'm looking forward to cooking it myself.

Tonight, however, I was in for a real treat. Leslie came over and cooked sauteed chicken and mashed potatoes with aguardiente pan sauce, a most delicious sauce made from a Colombian anise-flavored liquor. It's a bit advanced for me to feature on this blog right now, but maybe the next time she comes over to cook for me and fiance, I'll do a special entry so she can show off her skills on the interwebz.

Also, I decided I'm going to be doing short, basic technique articles in between recipes so that you can learn them in a pinch, and so I don't have to keep explaining things like how to pit an avocado. You can just look for the article titled "HOW TO PIT AN AVOCADO", for example.

Until next time, have a safe and happy new year, friends!