With the start of springtime, which at least for me means the start of potluck season, I thought I would bring you my favorite go-to appetizer dish that will make you the star of any party!
This comes from the Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan. The Horn of the Moon was a restaurant in my hometown that served up delicious vegetarian fare that sadly is no longer in existence. When I got older and had money in my pocket, I would skip out on school and hang out with friends and order dishes with exotic, to me at the time, ingredients I hadn’t even heard of. Think chapatis, tempeh, and veggie burgers before they became mainstream. The air would be thick with spices and herbs and yes, there were spider plants in the window that overlooked the river. I even worked there for one day for a summer job, until a call for a more steady paycheck working in the woods took me away. I loved it and to this day, when I’m in town on a Sunday, I still miss eating Sunday brunch eggs with home fries and homemade ketchup even though the restaurant has been closed for more than ten years.
But I have the next best thing, the first cookbook from the restaurant (there are two). The salsa recipe is one I’ve used for years and have tweaked it here and there so it’s now my own. This may sound unappetizing to some, but the Mushroom Tofu Stroganoff entree is so good, even those who turn their nose up at bean curd will like it–and lick the plate! But the Artichoke Dip is the best of the bunch. I first tried it in many years ago in a book club. Another woman (who I grew up with) made it for every meeting because we all loved it so much!
If you have a food processor, that would be easier; don’t try a blender, I’ve tried that too many times and it just doesn’t work. I chop and mince everything very fine and that does the trick. It’s easy to double and you might want to, one plate never seems to be enough!
Baked Artichoke Dip
From Horn of the Moon Cookbook, by Ginny Callan, Harper & Row, 1987
Cook’s Notes:
• I always like to top this with just a tiny bit of cayenne for a little bit of zip and spice.
• Use a pie plate instead of a casserole dish to cook this in, it’s easier for dipping when it comes out of the oven!
• While it says to serve this with chips, crackers or raw vegetables, I find a loaf of sliced French bread to be the best!
• 1 can artichoke hearts (14 ounces), drained
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced (Cook’s note: I use 3 cloves, 4 was too overpowering for me)
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely grated or Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup cream cheese, softened (Cook’s note: This is really important, otherwise it won’t be incorporated in the dip)
• 2 Tablespoons bread crumbs (Cook’s note: I use panko crumbs for some crunch)
• Chips, crackers, or raw vegetables for dipping
Finely chop artichoke hearts or run through a food processor along with the garlic using the steel chopping blade. Combine the ½ cup cheese, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and cream cheese. Mix well with the artichoke-garlic mixture. Put mixture in a 1-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and the remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees until bubbly. Serve with chips, vegetable dippers, bread or crackers.
Makes 2 cups.
Woohoo! That looks great! (And I 2nd your love of the cayenne) Will give a try 🙂
I hope you like it, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 🙂
aha- we had this on Easter: a request from my husband- who finds this to be, hands-down, the best appetizer! It is easier to use the blender if you put everything in together- helps the blades to move.
I agree, the best appetizer!
Can’t wait to try this.
Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I made it tonight for a party and it was a big hit.
Yay! So happy about this, Marta! I hope you were able to get some too, it usually goes pretty quickly! 🙂
Fresher than any version of this that I’ve ever made. Sounds delicious!
I always think you can’t go wrong with garlic, mayo, and cheese! 🙂
This really is The Best, and I don’t even have to make it! Lucky me.
Yes, very lucky indeed! 🙂
This sounds delicious… we’re having a dinner party tomorrow, and I think I’ll give this a bash as an appetiser (if it doesn’t work out you’ll be hearing about it from me in person….. next week! Yay!) 🙂
Now, being the ignorant Euro-brat that I am: what temperature would 375 be in a °C oven? And what is a 1 quart casserole dish? Finally: we don’t tend to have a lot of choice when it comes to cream cheese, basically it’s ‘Philadelphia’ (in its different varieties) – will that work well?
(You can already tell what a nervous nelly I am in the kitchen, right?!)
Oooh, it has now gone to Europe! 🙂
I looked it up and 375 would convert to 176-190 degrees Celcius. I use a glass pie plate for the dip, it’s wide and makes it easier for all to dip into, but you could use a small casserole dish as well. Philly cream cheese is the BEST to use! Plain, of course!
Let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
I so love this dish. It is to die for!
Decided to buy the Horn of the Moon Cookbook, you made it sound so-o-o good. Thanks for that tip!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, Trish! I can give you recommendations on what’s good if you like–pretty much everything! 🙂
This is by far the best artichoke dip I have ever tasted. I have the “Horn of the Moon” cookbook and the recipes are so wonderful. The quiches are the best!
I totally agree! I haven’t tried all the recipes, but of the ones I have, they’ve all been the best! 🙂
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