ARTICHOKE DIP

The Kitchen Pantry Cookbook, by Erin Coopey

Gooey, warm, tangy ... this is perfect with pita or tortilla chips.

Yield: About 2 cups (460 g)

Ingredients

2 packages (8 ounces, or 225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (115 g) mayonnaise (page 10)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (page 29)
1/4 teaspoon original Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic purée (see page 17) or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup (25 g) sliced scallion
1 package (8 ounces, or 225 g) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (40 g) shredded Parmigiano- Reggiano or Asiago cheese, divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC, or gas mark 4).

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, Tabasco, salt, and garlic and continue beating until fully blended, about 2 minutes.

Using a rubber scraper or spoon, fold in the scallion, artichoke hearts, and 1/4 cup (20 g) of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. When the ingredients have been incorpo­rated, scrape the dip into a small casserole dish or medium-size cast-iron skillet. Cover the dish with aluminum foil or a tight-fitting lid and bake for 25 minutes until warm and bubbly.

Remove the dish from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle the dip with the remaining 1/4 cup (20 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano. Preheat the broiler. Return the dish to the oven and place 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) from the broiler. Broil until the cheese melts and turns light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Allow to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes, and serve. This dip is equally good with tortilla chips (page 148) or pita chips (page 146).

Store any unused dip in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. To serve again, cover the dish snuggly in aluminum foil and warm the in a 300ºF (150ºC, or gas mark 2) oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe excerpted from The Kitchen Pantry Cookbook by Erin Coopey, Quarry Books, 2013

December 2013