Remember that "sour cream" I made not too long ago? Well, if you haven't been keeping up, I created some sort of dairy product that was supposed to be cheese (I think) but turned out to be the consistency of yogurt with the flavor of sour cream. I had attempted to bake with the stuff, but that was an experiment I will likely not revisit. (Actually, I still hope to make the original recipe some day, sans brazen substitutions, just to see how it should've come out.)
Now, what to do with the rest...
I had about a cup left over, and I really did not want to send it down, so to speak. During my previous efforts to find sweetened sour cream recipes, I came upon quite a few savory ideas. And the one what won me over? Artichoke dip. Who doesn't love artichoke dip? Or better yet, spinach artichoke dip. I would only need a few more ingredients: artichokes, spinach, Parmigiano cheese, and mayonnaise. A garlic clove might be nice, if I've got it laying around.
Well, I didn't follow a recipe per se. Rather, I tried to work from the memory of the slew of recipes I had read. It seemed pretty straightforward: prep ingredients, mix ingredients, bake ingredients.
I really didn't mean to make enough of this baked dip to outlast my desires for it, but I suppose that's what you get when you don't follow a recipe. But let me just tell you, before I went into a mild food coma after uncontrollable gorging (I like spinach artichoke dip)...wow! Creamy, cheesy, rich and bubbly, bursting with chunks (big chunks) of artichokes, and covered in crunchy gratineed cheese. Heaven. Seriously.
The following recipe is half of what I made originally. It's easy to double if you really do need more dip than you could ever possibly hope to eat on your own. When purchasing artichokes hearts, I prefer jars over the can; not to say there is anything wrong with canned artichokes. If you find that the quantities available by can or jar do not easily translate to what is listed below, do not fret, adding a bit more or less couldn't possibly hurt. This is the kind of recipe that lends itself very well to your own additions and subtractions.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch spinach, washed thoroughly and de-stemmed
1½ cups drained artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated (separate out 2 tbsp)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°.
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sweat the garlic in olive oil. Add spinach, season with salt and wilt, 2-3 minutes. (Your goal is to cook the spinach as little as possible. Cover the pot initially to get it going, then “turn” the spinach in the pot, stirring the spinach at the bottom up to the top to expedite the process.) Remove spinach from the pot and spread out onto a cookie sheet or plate to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, combine artichokes, sour cream, mayonnaise, all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano.
3. Once spinach had cooled, gather it up in your hands and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place the ball of spinach on a cutting board and cut ½” slices in one direction, turn the spinach 90° and cut ½” slices again. Break apart the chopped spinach into the bowl holding the artichoke mixture and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you need a measure, start with ½ tsp and ¼ tsp, respectively), tasting after each addition. Be conservative with the salt, the salty Parmigiano cheese contributes well to this dish.
4. Spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish, approximately 9 X 9 or similar, and sprinkle top with remaining grated cheese. Cover loosely with foil and place on a middle rack in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
5. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top has browned. For an extra crispy top, broil the mixture until golden brown (but watch closely to avoid burning). Serve immediately with crackers, bread or tortilla chips. Beware of overindulgence.
The following recipe is half of what I made originally. It's easy to double if you really do need more dip than you could ever possibly hope to eat on your own. When purchasing artichokes hearts, I prefer jars over the can; not to say there is anything wrong with canned artichokes. If you find that the quantities available by can or jar do not easily translate to what is listed below, do not fret, adding a bit more or less couldn't possibly hurt. This is the kind of recipe that lends itself very well to your own additions and subtractions.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch spinach, washed thoroughly and de-stemmed
1½ cups drained artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated (separate out 2 tbsp)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°.
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sweat the garlic in olive oil. Add spinach, season with salt and wilt, 2-3 minutes. (Your goal is to cook the spinach as little as possible. Cover the pot initially to get it going, then “turn” the spinach in the pot, stirring the spinach at the bottom up to the top to expedite the process.) Remove spinach from the pot and spread out onto a cookie sheet or plate to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, combine artichokes, sour cream, mayonnaise, all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano.
3. Once spinach had cooled, gather it up in your hands and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place the ball of spinach on a cutting board and cut ½” slices in one direction, turn the spinach 90° and cut ½” slices again. Break apart the chopped spinach into the bowl holding the artichoke mixture and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you need a measure, start with ½ tsp and ¼ tsp, respectively), tasting after each addition. Be conservative with the salt, the salty Parmigiano cheese contributes well to this dish.
4. Spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish, approximately 9 X 9 or similar, and sprinkle top with remaining grated cheese. Cover loosely with foil and place on a middle rack in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
5. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top has browned. For an extra crispy top, broil the mixture until golden brown (but watch closely to avoid burning). Serve immediately with crackers, bread or tortilla chips. Beware of overindulgence.
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