Vidalia Onion Dip

Barbeque (or BBQ) has several meanings depending on where you live and who is talking.

Of course, Barbeque is a delicious way of preparing meat, usually on a grill or other open flame and often with a spicy or sweet sauce. We love this BBQ.

But it can also refer to an out door party where the above food is often served. It is that “Barbeque” that today’s recipes is especially good for:

Vidalia Onion Dip

I first saw this southern delicacy described on Bobby Flay’s FoodNation. I love Vidalia Onions, so I searched out the recipe. It’s comes from the homes around Vidalia, GA where the famous sweet Vidalia Onions are grown and it is best made with those. Vidalias are sweeter and more juicy than most onions.

This dip is fragrant, smokey-sweet and delicious. Healthy it is not. Use caution. Also be careful and warn your guests that the dip will be mouth-scorching hot when it first comes out of the oven. But, if you can’t serve it hot from the oven or at the very least warm, don’t bother to make it. It doesn’t travel very well.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped Vidalia Onions
• 3 cups shredded Swiss Cheese
• 2 1/2 cups Mayonnaise (We only use Duke’s Mayonnaise)
• 2 to 3 roasted Garlic Cloves (see below)
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
2. Bake in the oven at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes until lightly browned. The onions should be soft and juicy and the cheese should be melted and bubbly
3. Serve straight from the oven with corn chips.

Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic will give you a good mouth-filling taste of garlic but without the sharp pungency of fresh. You can substitute it in almost any recipe calling for garlic. Experiment and see if it is better.

Ingredients

• 1 head of Garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.
2. Remove as much of the papery peeling from the garlic as possible without breaking the cloves apart.
3. Place the garlic in an oven-safe bowl with a lid and drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt.
4. Cover and place in oven.
5. Roast until the garlic is soft and creamy (about 45 minutes) when you squeeze the cloves.
6. Squeeze out the garlic from the peels and mash with a fork. Discard the peels.
7. Use what you need and keep the rest in the refridgerator for up to a week.

It is worth planning an Italian night just to use up any leftover garlic you have. Spread some good Italian bread with butter then the room-temperature roasted garlic mash. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven until toasted for some of the best garlic bread you will ever eat.

For more delicious Dip Recipes, CLICK HERE to visit The Weekend Grillers new Dips and Salsas section.