There is a food-related bit on the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building” that I think of often. It begins in the show’s second episode: At an apartment-lobby memorial for a deceased neighbor, the debt-stricken Oliver Putnam, played by the incomparable Martin Short, rushes to a table of free goodies.
“You know, this is all I eat — dips for dinner,” he says. “I bet I have not had a regular entree for years.”
That practice really hits home when it’s time to turn on the air-conditioner. I don’t want to cook. I want dips for dinner! Shallow bowls of whipped ricotta, tubs of creamy hummus, molcajetes of chunky guacamole.
My mother might cry out, “Dips can’t be dinner!” But with a colorful assortment of crudités, fluffy pitas or crackly chips, and a reverence for free will, they certainly can be.
During summer in my house, there are three main categories of dips: no-cook dips I can mix with a fork, no-cook dips I can chuck in a blender and dips that require just a teensy bit of heat.
The first is reserved for the days when my tank is on E. We’re talking chop-and-stir pico de gallo with chips from a bag. Or a simple yogurt dip seasoned like ranch dressing or spiked with feta and sumac, served with plenty of cucumber spears and snap peas.
In the middle lie the dips that I break out for last-minute entertaining. Nothing beckons friends like the text “Dips for dinner?” A spread of five-minute hummus, muhammara and Greek goddess dip, set out with crackers and vegetables that guests picked up on their way over, has the power to fuel hours of chatter.
When it’s hot out, a dip that calls for any amount of cooking has to be really worth the effort. Baba ghanouj always is, as you can easily char eggplant on a grill (or directly on a stovetop burner, for which smaller eggplants are best). This guacamole with grilled corn is summery and a bit more substantial, the burnished kernels adding welcome pops of sweetness among the soft avocado.
Lastly, there’s spinach dip with garlic, yogurt and dill, which requires boiling a kettle of water. You pour it over frozen spinach until wilted, then squeeze out the liquid and process the greens with the rest of the ingredients. Is that technically cooking? I’ll let you be the judge.
Speaking of dips: If you live in New York City or Philadelphia, have you had the salatim at Laser Wolf? The Israeli restaurant on the roof of the Hoxton hotel, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is just one of many restaurants featured in our big interactive guide about where to eat this summer in New York, from my fellow newsletter writer Nikita Richardson and our colleagues on the Food desk.
There are recommendations for vegetarian empanadas in Queens, potato and cheese khachapuri in Brighton Beach and meatless burgers in Kingston, among many other delicious treats and locations.
Give it a spin and get that summer bucket list going! Thanks for reading, and see you next week.
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