Broccoli bacon dip evolved from a facebook post I saw for something called Neiman Marcus Dip which consisted of bacon, almonds, cheese and mayonnaise. I confess it was the bacon that caught my attention.
They don’t do bacon in Spain– their porky love affair is with jamón, not bacon. They have it, but they seem to like their bacon…well…floppy is probably the best way to put it. Limp and pallid is another. While I don’t require the fat to be completely rendered from a piece, I do like the proud way a well cooked piece of bacon sticks out when I pick it up. For this recipe, you don’t want to cook your bacon like a Spaniard.
Broccoli is not in the original recipe, which I found in a Low Carb/High Fat Recipe Group on Facebook. It’s still low carb with the broccoli, and if you eat it with a spoon serve it with lettuce leaves (or pork rinds if you insist) instead of bread you won’t be in danger of exceeding your daily limit of carbs. For those of us who aren’t as concerned with such things, this is really good with crackers and apple slices (highly recommended!). It’s better room temperature or warm than straight out of the fridge which makes it perfect for your game day buffet table.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon diced
- 1 head of broccoli finely chopped, including the smaller stems
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- at least 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 cup chopped or slivered almonds toasting is optional
- red pepper flake optional
- splash of vinegar I use white balsamic
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil as needed to saute the onions
Instructions
- In a large skillet or dutch oven fry the bacon until crisp and nicely browned. Remove the bacon, but reserve the drippings.
- Saute the onions in the drippings, add a little olive oil if necessary. Season with a pinch of red pepper flake if you like a little heat.
- When the onions have softened and changed color slightly, add a splash of vinegar to help cut the fattiness. Then toss in the chopped broccoli and turn so it's well coated. Cook until crisp tender. Remove from the heat.
- Return the bacon to the pan. Stir in the almonds, mayonnaise and cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Make sure to chop the broccoli very fine so it doesn’t fall off the bread or crackers. I am enamored with the flavors in this dip. There’s a little heat from the red pepper flake, a little tang from the vinegar, creaminess from the mayo and then the crunch from the broccoli and almonds. The bacon and the drippings used to cook the onions just add another layer of flavor.
What is your favorite kind of dip?
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