Is it sauce, or is it dip, or is it a spread? It's totally whatever you want it to be! Also, it's really easy to make.



I have this thing about sun dried tomatoes because they're really passé, right? They were the hot food item of the 1990s. In fact, on a really catty day, I have been known to refer to someone with hopelessly outdated fashion sense as a "sundried tomato eater." Seriously! That's how strong the connotation is for me! They're about as 90's as coveting Heather Locklear's hairstyle on Melrose Place or listening to Boyz 2 Men slow jams on a Discman, while wearing a plaid flannel shirt in the summertime.

On the other hand, they are actually pretty delicious. For that reason alone, sun dried tomatoes, like Nirvana and the internet, remain timeless classics borne of that heady last decade of the 1900s.



Today I tossed this concoction with warm pasta, but it's also great as a dip, with bread, crackers, pita, or veggies, or as a spread on a super tasty sandwich!


Sun Dried Tomato Sauce... or Dip... or Spread
So listen, this does NOT have to be exact proportions- consider it a guideline- and feel free to add in stuff experimentally!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. jarred sun dried tomatoes, in oil (about 12 tomatoes), plus a bit of the oil in the jar
• handful of arugula leaves
• juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil to taste
• small dollop of cream cheese (optional- or, you can put more in if you want a creamier dip)
• salt and pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:

• Put tomatoes, tomato oil, arugula, and lemon in a blender or food processor and pulse.
• Add oil and pulse so it gets smoother and more saucy. Pulse some more.
• Add cream cheese, salt, and a fair amount of pepper. If using pepper flakes, add to taste.
• Pulse and taste. If it's boring it probably just needs salt.