Artichoke dip

2007. Artichoke dip

One of my favorite movies is Amelié. Maybe for some it’s a cliché, but for me it’s fantastic. She is indeed a kind of heroine, since she is someone who wants to make everyone happy. That to me is the closest and real concept of a superhero. However, one of my favorite scenes from the film has nothing to do with it, it is an instant in which she loses control a little and tells a nasty seller of vegetables and grains a gastronomic phrase: “You will never be a vegetable because even the artichokes have heart”

And she is absolutely right! Artichokes have a heart and with them we make delicious things that make our lives happy. Like in 2007, when I first visited New York and had the opportunity to try the wonderful artichoke dip. Years went by until I returned to those streets and eat it again, and now in Bogota in some restaurants you find it.

As I love to cook everything I try, I searched many artichoke dip recipes and I liked the idea of doing so leaving almost all the traditional ingredients, but also adding a few spinach leaves to give more color and more protein to this delicious vegetarian-egg-dairy dish. Enjoy my version of the dip and cooking it feel yourselves in the wonderful New York!

The Artichoke Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cans or jars of artichokes in water with drained weight of 460-500 grams.

1 and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese (you can even use a cup and a half)

¾ cup of light cream cheese (or you can use a cup of mayonnaise, but I use low-fat cream cheese)

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 clove of garlic (optional for those who do not like garlic)

3 or 4 spinach leaves (this can be optional if you do not have it at home, but I add it to give it some color)

What do I do?

I drain the water from the artichokes and cut them in 3 or 4 pieces.

I add them to the mixer and liquefy until a paste is formed, for about 20 seconds. As they are very smooth you do not need to add anything. If they are a little hard and are difficult to liquefy, I recommend to add a little olive oil. I preheat the oven to 175 °C.

If you do not have cayenne pepper, please read Tip # 3 of this recipe (at the end) that I offer you a substitute.

Once the artichoke paste is formed, proceed to add Parmesan (3/4 cups of Parmesan), cayenne pepper, and cream cheese.

If you want to add color as I do, I throw the leaves of spinach and re-liquefy.

I spread the artichoke paste with the other ingredients in a mold to bake.

I sprinkle with the remaining half cup the Parmesan on the surface of the dip.

I put it in the oven at 175 ° C / 350F and let it cook for 30 minutes, verifying that the Parmesan threads have already been browned, but have not been burned.

I take away and serve. I eat it with toasts, bread, grissinis, sticks of carrot or celery, among others. It’s delicious!!! Try it and see yourself in the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Tip # 1: The original recipe is with mayonnaise and without spinach. I propose this dip with cream cheese low in calories, so that you can have a slightly healthier option, especially if you are on a diet.

Tip # 2: The spinach on this dip is just to give it more color. However, there is also the dip of artichoke and spinach that has onions and more green leaves. You can try to elaborate that and tell me how you it goes.

Tip # 3: If you do not have cayenne pepper in the house, replace with red or black pepper with a few peperoncino flakes or dry spicy. Remember that cayenne pepper is spicy, so if you do not like the spicy so much, reduce the addition that the recipe says.

Pairing Tip: This dip is perfect to accompany with drinks such as Cosmopolitan, Martini, Gin and Vodkatonic.

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