Vampires are all in vogue right now, and we think even they would struggle to keep their fangs off this tasty number. Where others lack bite, our killer dip delivers a distinctive yet delicate flavour, driving a wooden stake of yumminess through any unsuspecting dish. What else can we say? – it’s the simplicity and purity of it that eclipses the competition. Truly a taste to die for!

Inspirations

• Meatballs + toothpicks + garlic dip = empty appetizer platter!
• The perfect smear campaign for toasted pita bread, Turkish bread, or pizza.
• Sink your teeth into garlic coated prawns, fish or BBQ meat.
• Fold through mashed potatoes for a surprising twist.
• Give seafood pasta a wake up call.

Recipe Idea

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder (pictured)
Feeds 6-8
You will need to begin this recipe the day before

• 2kg lamb shoulder, bone in
• 1 x 200g Pilpel Garlic Dip, plus extra, to serve
• 1 cup basil pesto
• 6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• ¼ preserved lemon, peel only, very finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients, except lamb, in a bowl. Mix well. Spread all over lamb then place into a non-reactive container and refrigerate overnight (min 8 hours) to marinate.

Preheat oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan). Place lamb on a baking rack on top of a baking tray. Roast, uncovered for 30 mins. Drop heat to 120ºC (100ºC fan), cover lamb with foil and roast for a further 7 hours. Remove foil, roast, uncovered for 30 mins.

Serve with extra Pilpel Garlic Dip, as part of a banquet.

When asking “which came first, the chick or the egg?” surely they were talking about chickpeas and eggplants. And yet when it comes to our supersonic blend of two absolute legends of flavour, the answer is still just as elusive – it really is a dead-heat of deliciousness. Char grilled eggplant getting cozy with the freshest, locally sourced chickpeas, and folded through the smoothest tahini in the business – does it really matter which came first?

Inspirations

• Everything hummous can do, this can do too, just more eggplanty!
• Sensational with toasted pita bread/Turkish bread for a moreish snack.
• Unbelievably good on baked white fish.
• Generously combine with your favourite salad or mix through vegetables to give a creamy flavoursome punch!

Recipe Idea

Lamb Skewers with Eggplant Hummous (pictured)
Makes 6 large skewers

• 1kg lamb rump, diced into 3cm cubes
• 2 tsp ground cumin1 tsp ground sumac
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• ¼ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• To serve – Pilpel Eggplant Hummous

Combine spices, oil, pomegranate molasses, mint and garlic in a non-reactive bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper then add diced lamb and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to marinate.

Thread meat onto 6 skewers. Preheat BBQ or chargrill pan to high and cook skewers for 8-10 mins, turning every 2 mins to ensure they are evenly cooked. Allow to rest 4 mins before serving with Pilpel Eggplant Hummous.

Great friends do everything together, but these two buddies appear to have missed the memo about not playing with fire. Luckily for us, the result is the very definition of scrumptiousness – spreadable, dippable, and unstoppable. And you won’t need a microscope to feast your eyes on the char-grilled ingredients – equal parts of flavour, working together in harmony to make beautiful music on your taste buds. Fire up your appetite today!

Inspirations

• Use with bruschetta topped with roasted capsicum and spices for a certain crowd-pleaser.
• Introduce it to its cousins by throwing in with your next mixed greens collection – green beans, snake beans, snow peas, broccoli etc.
• For a delicious layer in your next vegetarian lasagna, look no further.
• Mix through cooked rice, or add to your favourite sushi roll.

Recipe Idea

Bloody Mary Pasta (pictured)
Serves 4

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• ½ brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 x 200g Pilpel Eggplant Capsicum dip
• 700g good-quality passata
• 60ml vodka (optional)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• ½ tsp celery salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 500g pasta (we used radiatori but penne would also work well)
• Shaved parmesan, to serve

Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and gently saute 3-4 mins or until softened but not coloured. Add Pilpel Eggplant Capsicum dip, passata, vodka, Worcestershire, Tabasco and celery salt. Season generously with pepper then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer 8-10 mins.

Cook pasta according to packet instructions, drain and serve with sauce and shaved parmesan.

A crowd favourite, combining the feel-good household name of capsicum, roasted to perfection, and introducing it ever-so-politely to a dinner party of Turkish flavours, herbs and spices. Then we let some chilli loose in there and watch the fun unfold. Marvel at its nutty chompability. Applaud its versatility. And delight in a colour and flavour so rich that it needs its own bodyguards. This taste of Turkey will definitely make you want to gobble gobble!

Inspirations

• Use to marinate chicken breasts and either grill or barbeque
• Sausages just aren’t sausages without a dollop of this beside them.
• Colour and flavour combine when tossed through penne pasta.
• Add some pizzazz to pizzas by using it as a gourmet base.

The food world is full of unlikely love stories. These two met each other across a crowded pantry and it was lunch at first sight. Everyone told them it wouldn’t work, but they were nuts for each other and determined to prove them wrong. Their marriage was a bold yet tasteful affair – bright colour and surprising texture, and they now share a happy home together. They might say ‘love is blind’, but it’s definitely not bland!

Inspirations

• Rise and shine! Say hello to creamy yogurt or spread on toast with cream cheese for breakfast.
• Meat and greet – serve it with red meat for dinner, hamburgers, steaks, cold cuts sandwiches etc.
• Splash colour into potato salad for extra flavour and extra marks for originality.
• Try it out with smoked or well-grilled salmon for a delicious balance of flavours any time of year.