Nigella's Roquamole

I have a girlfriend who looks at celebrities and will often turn around to me and say, "I think she / he would be our friend." What this is meant to impart, is that someone looks fun, down to earth, and possibly a little outspoken, unafraid of a long talks over a few glasses of good wine and a leisurely meal. In other words, our kind of people. Obviously the fact that most of them are very famous and not even remotely within our orbit or even our hemisphere, makes it extremely unlikely that Jon Stewart, Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz will be over for dinner tonight. No matter. It's a fun game to play.

Nigella Lawson is someone else who belongs on the "would be our friend" list. Smart, funny, talented, self-deprecating, Nigella brings enthusiasm and lust to food. She is the only cookbook author I know of who talks about greedily scarfing down things she has made, or is seen licking a finger, or moaning to herself from the pure joy of food. In other words, she is much more like the foodies who use her books, than she is like some other cookbook writers who may have more discipline or finesse but have by-passed the joy in their cooking. A new cookery club, called I Heart Cooking Clubs, has started and is currently focusing on Nigella with party foods as the first choice. I made this dip a while ago, and it seemed like a perfect post.

Avocado and blue cheese never struck me as natural friends, but they meld together beautifully in this dip. The resulting taste is lovely - but it does not taste the way you would imagine blue and avocado to taste. I think if you were serving this to people who did not know what was in it, they would struggle to put their finger on blue cheese as an ingredient. The chillis add a little kick. All in all, a yummy choice, and a great way to use up any spare blue cheese.

Roquamole

from Nigella Express

125g Roquefort or St Agur
60ml sour cream
2 ripe avocados
35g sliced pickled green jalapeño chilli peppers from a jar
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 packet blue corn tortilla chipsServing Size : Serves 4–6

METHOD
1. In a bowl, crumble or mash the blue cheese with the sour cream.
2. Mash in the avocados. If they are ripe, a fork should be all you need.
3. Roughly chop the sliced jalapeños and stir them into the mixture along with the finely sliced spring onions.
4. Arrange in the centre of a plate or dish, dust with the paprika and surround with tortilla chips. Dive in.