Charred spring onion dip with crunchy chilli butter

You know you’re in for a good meal when crisps and dips arrive on the table. It’s the universal sign that you’re putting in a bit of effort - whether that’s a tahini-rich hummus unleashed from its plastic pot to be served with corner shop crisps, or something homemade from a favourite cookbook. Both have their place in my culinary universe, but there’s something special about making your own, especially in a month rife with bank holiday-related occasions. This particular dip recipe is the second generation version of a dish I made for my last supper club with Spare Ribs. The original was made with a yoghurt and ricotta base, which made for a lighter dip if that’s your thing. I also made some punchy pickled chillies for the topping, which were delicious and are definitely an alternative option for this recipe if you don’t fancy the chilli butter set out below.

While creating this recipe I was also inspired by a dip in my most-used ‘hosting’ book - Ixta Belfrage’s Mezcla. It’s my current go-to for fancier dinner setups, and the creamy cucumber and ricotta dip with a hot sauce pine nut butter was a hit when I made it for a New Year’s Eve lasagne party (more on that in a future newsletter) last year. Instead of pine nuts, I’ve opted for a more budget-friendly pumpkin seed, although you could use pine nuts or sunflower seeds, if you like. To pair with the allium-heavy base, a chilli and garlic sauce with a little background rice vinegar and sweetness from Lee Kum Kee was my pick. Of course, you don’t need to go out and buy this if you don’t want to. You could use chilli paste with a crushed garlic clove, or garlic paste with some chopped fresh red chilli or chilli flakes.

For the charred spring onion dip
1 tsp olive oil
1 x bunch of spring onions, white and green parts separated
250g ricotta
150g soured cream
Zest of 1 lemon plus 1 tsp juice
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 tsp sea salt

For the crunchy chilli butter
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
30g unsalted butter
1 heaped tsp chilli garlic sauce

1. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the white sections of the spring onions. Char for a few minutes on each side, then remove from the heat and cover with a lid or foil and leave to steam for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add the ricotta, soured cream, lemon zest and juice, garlic and salt to a large bowl. Mix together using a balloon whisk.

3. Remove the onions from the pan, allow to cool slightly on a chopping board then roughly chop and add to the ricotta and soured cream mixture.

4. Finely slice the green parts of the spring onions and add two thirds of them to the dip, keeping the remaining third back for garnish. Pile the dip onto a serving plate and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon, leaving little ridges for the topping to cling to.

5. To make the crunchy chilli butter, add the pumpkin seeds to a frying pan over a medium heat. Toast for a few minutes until golden, then add the butter. Once foaming, add the chilli and garlic sauce and fry the mixture for a few more minutes.

6. To serve, drizzle the crunchy chilli butter over the dip and garnish with the sliced spring onion tops.