Chilee And Dips

You would think that chili's and dips wouldn't have anything to do with the late summer season.Yet they do.This is chili season when the peppers are coming into ripeness.As for the dips ,well you could use them in dips too, as they make their way into backpacks across the nation. Both David Tanis and Melissa Clark discussed this in their weekly columns in Wednesday s New York Times Dining section the other day.Mr.Tanis covered the peppers.These are ubiquitous in his old stomping ground of Santa Fe.The most famous and desirable are the Hatch peppers which come from the Hatch Valley.They're roasted to perfection while green.The process is done in a barrel , basically a perforated metal drum rigged to rotate over intense flames.The skins get blisters, the chilies themselves get cooked a bit.There is a sauce(but you can also use it as a dip).It starts off with a chicken broth base and you can make with rich with the addition of butter or healthy by using olive oil instead.Spices abound in it,from cumin to oregano.Mr Tanis serves it up with a breakfast quesadilla but it can also go in fajitas or tacos or as a condiment with any grilled meat from chicken to steak. Milder dips come from Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column.The reason is not chiles but her daughter.Unfortunately at the younger's Clark's school, her favorite sandwich , peanut butter and jelly is banned due to the abundance of nut allergies. Her mother goes with dips as an enticement to eat a healthy dip.Dips are a better lunch time meal than sandwiches?Kids like the idea of dipping and any dippable fits perfectly in little hands.This theory can also work for adult lunches too.The dip"s base should be a protein such as yogurt, beans tofu and cream cheese.Add ins can be cheddar and scallions in a cream cheese and mayo dip.There's also an avocado basil one made smooth with olive oil and Greek yogurt.This is actually a good receptor for the green chile sauce.Add a tablespoon or two for a spicy appetizer at a grown up dip.Serve either with warmed tortilla chips,Ms Clark throws in an edamame tofu one zinged up with Ginger and soy sauce.You can serve this with cucumbers or rice Crackers.Luckily dips can e made fresh or the night before and they also work as good after school snacks too. Chiles and dips actually work. With the last days of summer.It's the time for them as both head to the office or school.Combine them too, for an end of summer party.