Appetizer Junikies

Well, boy howdy, that worked! My second attempt to make a perfect, addictive-like-meth spinach-avacado dip worked like a charm. The only problem is that prepping it takes a while because spinach is too damned wet, even after it's been chopped and sqeezed to death in cheesecloth. Still, I've confirmed the addictiveness quotient (very high) and tastiness (very high) and will stick with the recipe even though it takes around 45 minutes to make.

Prep is simple but cooking is time-consuming. The real downside (because there's always one) is that the base probably won't freeze well due to the sour cream. Final presentation takes about 10 minutes in a home kitchen and not even five in a restaurant with a salamander (the broiler, not the amphibian).

Cost per portion is reasonable (under €2/per) but will continue to increase due to dairy and artichoke costs. I should be able to keep the price under €5 for now.

Next stop: chili, both veggie and meat. There's a Munich chili cook-off in a month or so and if I can win or at least place in the top three it'd score the bar some serious points.

Problem 1: my chili takes around 14 hours to cook. I could do an easy version in under 45 minutes with another hour of 0simmering, but the version with all the chilis (guajillos, pasillas, chipotles, anchos, Californias and others) and the mixed meat takes time. And all the tomatoes.

It's hard to get even half-ripened tomatoes and the ones which are at least starting to leave the green spectrum before being picked are terribly expensive. I'll probably have to use a mix of fresh and canned. There's a big Italian supermarket which serves both home and restaurant customers. I've picked up four different recommended brands of canned tomatoes from there and have to try each one. Chili con carne (or "con veggie") is actually pretty cheap to make in large batches, save for the cost of the chilis which I have to import.

The only chilis which are finally available here are chipotles in tiny cans packed in adobo sauce, and only a few specialty stores have them. Maybe I can use some of the more readily available Turkish and Indian chilis along with the chipotles. There are also the dried Thai and Chinese ones for heat but I love the ancho flavour. Gonna be eating a lot of chili over the next month...