Salsa Di Parmigiano (“Parm Dip”)

Did my tease about a Michael Chiarello dip recipe entice you back? I hope so!

A year and a half ago, Will and I spent a couple days in Napa celebrating our anniversary. We wine tasted and ate our way through the days we were there. Seriously, we had more places that we wanted to eat at than days and meals that we were going to be in town! Remarkably, we were able to get a last minute reservation at Michael Chiarello’s Yountville restaurant Bottega. My parents have raved about this place, so we knew if we could get in, it would be the perfect anniversary evening meal. We were not disappointed! After being seated, the wait staff brought the most amazing Parmesan cheese dip and bread. We were so distracted by this amazing dip that the waiter had to come back several times before we finally looked at the menu and decided on entrees. In all reality, we could have made an entire meal out of the bread and “Parm dip” as Michael calls it. We didn’t, and the rest of the meal was just as wonderful. But, the dip was really the stand-out item from our meal, so when we got home, we tried to recreate it, based on the flavors and ingredients we could pick out. Unfortunately, at the time, our attempts fell far short of the real version, so you can imagine my delight when we found the recipe!

This is by far our favorite dip, and one that, if you ask us to bring an appetizer, this will probably be it. The flavors of the Parmesan and Asiago with a slight hint of heat from the red pepper flakes, pepper, and garlic work so well together. The nice thing about this dip is that it can go on anything–bread, veggies, crackers; I’ve even thought about spreading this over cooked chicken. This recipe makes a lot, which is perfect for sharing, or bringing as a hostess gift. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Salsa Di Parmigiano (“Parm Dip”)

Courtesy of Michael Chiarello

Ingredients:

• ½ pound Parmesan cheese, not too dry
• ½ pound Asiago cheese, not too dry
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Remove any rind from the cheeses and chop the cheeses into rough 1-inch chunks. Pulse the cheeses in a food processor until reduced to the size of a fine pea gravel. Transfer the cheese to a bowl and stir in the green onion and garlic. Add the oregano, rubbing between your fingers to release it’s fragrance. Add the black pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Stir well. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 4 hours before serving.

Like Loading...

Related