Roasted Red Pepper Dip
 
Ingredients
  • 1 head garlic
  • 16 oz. marinated roasted red peppers, drained
  • 8 oz. plain goat cheese
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cut off the top of the head of garlic exposing the cloves. (Do not peel).
  3. Place garlic in small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Roast garlic in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  5. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves of garlic out of their husks.
  6. Place roasted garlic, roasted red peppers and goat cheese in the bowl of a food processor.
  7. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  8. Pour roasted red pepper mixture into a large bowl.
  9. Add chopped basil, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper and olive oil and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  10. Refrigerate dip for a few hours in advance of serving to allow the flavors to develop and the texture to firm up.
  11. Serve with raw and blanched vegetables.
Notes
If you're going to the trouble to roast one head of garlic, go ahead and roast a bunch. It's no extra work and then you have delicious roasted garlic on hand to spread on grilled bread or chicken or mix in with mashed potatoes.
Recipe by West of the Loop at https://www.westoftheloop.com/2014/02/23/roasted-red-pepper-dip/