Written with the express permission of Nicky, genius dip maker and fabulous friend!

Nicky’s Dip has given my group of friends and many others, sheer gastronomical delight at many a party and family gathering.  This fiery dip is not for the faint hearted, although of course, tamer versions can be tapered.

It originated at a party in Hong Kong, a  friends-favourite among an exclusive branch of the ex-pat community back in the mid- nineties (gotta love the 90’s!) and was lovingly honed and brought back to Blighty for the enjoyment of hot dip lovers in the know.

Now this is my kinda dish. It’s made of a plethora of random ingredients, but with a bit of this, and a pinch of that. Nothing too exact, and it’s always a delight to see how each one turns out.

Ingredients wise, well I’m kinda loathe to tell you what’s in it! Basically, on first tasting, I was told, ‘just try it, and if you like it we will tell you what it’s made of’. Now I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t instill a great deal of confidence in me! However, quite simply, tried it, loved it. So I foraged for more detail and Nicky was right. Had I realised what went into it, I’d have never gone for it…..

We have it on our girlie weekends, in fact it’s as integral as wine! At kids birthday parties it is an easy snack for the grown-ups, and no grown-up soiree is complete without it.  We have friends who are spice-shy so there is usually a toned-down version available (I never try it!) so it’s a really adaptable dish. It’s tastes even better the next morning, hangover in tow and works as a kick-ass topping for Lasagne too!

So without further ado, let’s get to the nitty gritty:

Ingredients:

1 tin/jar Artichoke Hearts

1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of lazy garlic/garlic granules

1/2  jar Jalapeno peppers (to suit tastes)

3  heaped tablespoons of Mayonnaise

80g Parmesan grated

300g of Philadelphia (250g if only for a small amount of people)

2 teaspoons of dill

A healthy shake of dried chilli flakes (perhaps add a finely chopped fresh chilli to suit taste)

Method:

Finely chop  half of the Jalapenos, a full tin (drained) of artichoke hearts & add mayo, parmesan and Philadelphia.

Mix until all fully integrated

Add Dill, Chillis & Garlic

Mix again.

Pour into a pretty ovenproof dish and cook at full heat for 1/2 hour

Edges will brown but middle remains semi-soft.

Devour

Best served with crudites, tortilla chips or pittas.

Seriously, the easiest, most effective party dish of all time!

Have you ever heard of this dip or a similar version? I’d love to hear your take on it!