Dips can define certain decades.
Growing up in the 1960s, what I knew as "chip dip" was dry onion soup mixed with a carton of sour cream.
Clam dip was also big during that era. When the recipe for clam dip first appeared on the "Kraft Music Hall" television show in the early 1950s, New York City sold out of canned clams within 24 hours, according to "Fashionable Food," a history of food fads, by Sylvia Lovegran (MacMillan, 1995).
That was when salsa and hummus were relatively unknown, at least in my neck of the woods.
The '70s, when I was living on my own, was the "gooshy food" era of quiche, crepes, broccoli-cheese casseroles and hot, creamy dips laced with spinach or canned crab. I remember serving several kinds of dips with chips and veggies for a New Year's Eve party.
One of my roommates, a home economist with Utah Power & Light, helped me improvise a warm, cheesy dip of sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese and canned green chiles. We chose jack cheese because it melts well, but cheddar works fine, too.
It was a hit, and I served my Cheesy Chile Dip for many years with variations: green onions, sliced olives, different cheeses. I prefer it to the bright orange stuff that comes with nachos.
We're nearing a new decade, and we've come a long way food-wise. Today, most people would probably prefer using fresh chiles with a little more kick, such as jalapenos. And dips are made from a wider variety of ingredients, such as edamame, eggplant, red pepper, mushrooms, goat cheese, tomatillos or black beans.
There's Asian peanut dip, marinara sauce, and myriad flavors such as curry, wasabi or rosemary.
In Fine Cooking magazine's new "Appetizers" issue, I found an updated onion dip, using real sauteed onions instead of soup mix.
Cheesy Chile Dip
1 16-ounce carton sour cream
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 4-ounce cans green chiles (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on medium power, for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring once or twice during melting. (Or, melt in saucepan over medium-low heat, until cheese is melted.) Makes about 4-5 cups. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.
Golden Onion and Thyme Dip
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish or 2 large yellow onions (about 1 pound total, finely diced)
Kosher salt
8 ounces cream cheese
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 scant tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Pinch of cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
Pita chips
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and saute, stirring often, until the onion softens completely and starts to brown, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add the cream cheese, sour cream, thyme and cayenne. Pulse until the mixture is well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with the pita chips.
e-mail: vphillips@desnews.com