The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/29255
Hope’s Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip Experimenting in the kitchen (and making a mess, according to my husband) is what I do. There are few things more fulfilling part of the repertoire of “this is what’s for dinner.” Spinach and artichoke dip unfortu- recipe, tinkering with it and making it my own. However, I’ve found over time that certain dishes inevitably become nately doesn’t make the cut because my son swears that artichoke hearts and peppers trigger his gag reflex. Which is unfortunate, because I’m a big fan of appetizers for dinner. My brother, on the other hand, adores this dip, so it’s made whenever he visits. This dip is a huge party favorite. No one feels guilty eating a dish with this many vegetables included, yet it tastes far from healthy. The mass quantity of cheeses involved make sure of that. This dip is incredibly versatile. If a mild- er dip is preferred, substitute monterey jack for the pepper jack and omit the hot sauce. The bell pepper can be replaced with 6 oz. of sliced button or crimini mushrooms. When sour cream is lacking, use 16 oz. of cream cheese instead. I’ve never made this dip the same way than researching a twice, so feel free to play. Tastes lovely with baguette, crackers, baby carrots or pita chips. INGREDIENTS two 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts (preserved in water and salt), drained and chopped 16 oz. frozen, chopped spinach 12 oz. cream cheese 4 oz. sour cream 1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 2 cloves garlic, minced one lemon, juiced one medium onion, chopped one small red bell pepper, finely diced 1 tsp. olive oil hot sauce, a few splashes salt and pepper, to taste DIRECTIONS Set oven at 350 degrees. No need to wait for oven to preheat. Coat the garlic and onion in olive oil in a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Then, add cream cheese and frozen spinach. I find this easier than defrosting the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, stir well to break up the spinach and bake until spinach has thawed. Mix in the remaining ingredients except for 1/2 cup of pepper jack and the parmesan. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir well one more time, sprinkle rest of cheeses on top of dip and bake until cheese is slightly golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes to cool before devouring. _ Hope Von Stengel Hope Von Stengel has been a vegetarian chef, writer and cooking instructor for nearly 10 years. She can be found in the kitchen at My Father’s Place in Emmons on Thursday nights and seasonally at a local yoga retreat. Have a recipe for the Local Eats section? E-mail Cassandra at editor@otownscene.com April 14, 2011 O-Town Scene 13