1. Soak cashews in a bowl of water for at least three hours. Drain and rinse a few times, then drain well and place in food processor.
2. Add remaining ingredients to food processor and puree until well-blended. The texture will be very thick. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired thickness. (To make a dip that didn?t drip, use 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water ? added gradually to get the right consistency. Less water makes it edible with a fork; lots of water would turn it into salad dressing.)
3. Sprinkle the top with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
4. For the variations, keep the base recipe the same and add the following:
Olive: Add black olives to the mixture before blending. For canned olives, 20-30 is a good number. For fancier cured Greek olives, start with 10-15 and add more to taste.
Roasted Red Pepper: Add 1-2 roasted red peppers and 1/2 teaspoon paptrika to the mixture before blending. To roast peppers, cook on a grill or under the broiler until charred and soft. Place in paper bag for 10 minutes, then peel. Or take the easy route, and buy them in a jar at the store.
Sun-dried Tomato: Add 5-7 sun-dried tomatoes to the mixture before blending.