When I saw my friend Matt Berkeley post on Facebook news about his latest album release, Disco Machines, I immediately took a listen,

and WOW - I love it and if you like Bowie, I think you will too! I pinged him and asked if he would like to share a recipe with you all, and he happily has given his Cashew Cilantro Dip! Please enjoy making this and let me know how it goes, and be sure to check out his music and support live music whenever you can!
On Spotify: https://cutt.ly/drF1B7x On Apple Music: https://cutt.ly/urF12wG On YouTube: https://cutt.ly/crF1XuK
Cilantro Cashew Dip
Hi friends,
Well…I’m super excited to share the recipe with you. I’ve done a lot of cooking and kitchen experimentation over the years, and this is a creation that seems somewhat unique and definitely personal. Over the years friends have suggested I do a cooking show, and I’ve thought of a recipe book (working title: “Oooh, Mami” …totally could be the name of my fantastical cafe too… aaah many crazy ideas, I digress), but in the meanwhile, Stephanie’s offer to share this recipe seemed like a more realistic starting point in my culinary career.
This is basically a multi-purpose pesto. It can be thinned out with water and spooned onto tostadas or tacos or it can be amended with more olive oil and vinegar and make a damn tasty salad dressing as well. The proportions below make for a nice cracker or chip dip. And for the cilantro-averse among you: I am sorry, this one isn’t for you.
Truth be told, I had never measured the amount of any of the ingredients until it came time to share the recipe here - I am an improviser, I love using random ingredients with no preconceived plan and I rarely measure anything when cooking (I’m more a chef than a baker so I can get away with it usually). That said, go ahead and play with the proportions as you like, this is just a guide.
You’ll probably want a food processor, a blender may suit you as well. And it wouldn’t even be so bad if all you had was a mortar and pestle.
Here are your “official” measurements!
1 large bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
4-5 medium-sized garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
A few tips: Triple wash the cilantro, use extra garlic if you’re trying to ward off vampires or otherwise love the stuff and you can use a different type of vinegar in a pinch - have fun, and experiment! Throw that all in the food processor and blend till smooth. One last pro-tip: you can mellow the garlic some if you blend that and the vinegar at first, and let it sit for several minutes. This is a trick I use often for all kinda recipes where I want the herbs or aromatics “diffused” a bit more.
Enjoy! Experiment. Love each other and share!
Peace, Matt
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