Move over Spinach Artichoke dip – I have a new love!

Who doesn’t love a good artichoke dip?!  The creamy hot gooey dip hitting the table just before the meal is always the best method to keep the beast “Harold the Hangry” away.   In teaching Sips and Dips classes, I love exploring new options.  This Artichoke Spinach dip is a classic!   But the caveat to the whole dip is the large amount of cream cheese and cheese used to make the dip.  Sure – that is what makes it good, but truth be told we should change it to Cheese and Spinach dip because you can’t really taste the artichokes.

Over the Spring I became interested in artichokes.   Up until this point, I had only seen them in jars or cans, never in my life taking the raw forms and cook it!  And as always, I wrote a class with the purpose to for me to teach myself.   That’s right, I wrote a class to teach others so I could teach myself.  That’s what I do!  It’s a little backwards, but in all honesty it’s the best fire I can light under myself.   I spent hours watching videos, reading books and discovering how this immature flower became such a delicate delicious spring time find.

With the empowerment of the artichoke is my bag I was ready to take it on.  The flavor and texture of an artichoke is quite delicious.  We often eat it from a brine, or even packed in an oily marinate. hardly in its tender steamed form plucked from the base of the flower.  I will pump my breaks on this until artichokes are in season and totally  I did however find a dip recipe that I will now keep in the front of my recipe box.   It is easy, only a handful of ingredients and quite delicious.  Light, bright, and not bogged down with cheese.

Artichoke Lemon Parsley Dip

A light dip that showcases the flavors of the artichoke with brightness from the lemon.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Ingredients

  

• 1 14.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 Tablespoon cream cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoon roughly chopped parsley
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice

Instructions

 

• Place the artichokes, garlic, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley and lemon zest in food processor. Pulse to combine.
• Add the lemon juice, sat and pepper to taste. For a smoother dip, add 1 Tablespoon or two of the reserved oil from the artichokes.
• Serve with crackers, toasted sourdough, or as a sauce for grilled meats or fish