Chip-and-dip Time

There is this thing at our apartment that Amanda and I affectionately call “chip-and-dip time.” It’s snack time for grownups. Chip-and-dip time happens around the 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. timeframe. Amanda and I, back for the day from school or work, sit at the kitchen table and spill our guts while stuffing them. The subject matter starts out with drama from boys, friends, co-workers and bosses and then moves more casually into what interesting thing we each heard on NPR. But most importantly chip-and-dip time cannot happen without something smooth and creamy or chunky and something crunchy and salty (tortilla chips, pita crisps, crackers, hard bread, etc.) with which to scoop up the creamy item. The dip has been hummus, salsa is a favorite, cheese, and the other day I made my mom’s bean dip.


Bean anything is a rarity with my mom. She hates beans except in the case of chili. In fact, when I called over to get the recipe and asked if I could replace the black beans with kidney beans she answered an emphatic no before I could finish the question. It’s a vestige from childhood when she was forced to down lima beans before leaving the table. Now that my mom is emancipated and can decide what and how much she eats, what she eats never ever involves beans except in the case of this dip.
The recipe so simple I didn’t even bother to write it down when I talked to her on the phone: one can of black beans in no case to be substituted with anything other than black beans, two tablespoons of pickles jalapenos, some cumin, a crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper, and just enough water to bring the whole thing together in a pot on the stove (so a couple tablespoons tops). Once everything is heated through, you pour the mess of beans into the food processor and pulse until it’s smooth.