Monday, February 4, 2008

Martha's Artichoke Dip

It's not very often that I cook something worthy of a blog post, but this past weekend I made an artichoke dip that turned out pretty scrumpcious. It's not that I don't or don't like to cook- I do, but there are definitely others that do it better than me! But Martha helped me along with this one, and since I actually got requests for the recipe, I'll share. I think the lemon zest is what sets this dip apart. It takes a little bit of prep work, but if I can do it, so can you!

Baked Artichoke Dip
(Makes 6 cups; serves 14 to 16)

Ingredients
3 cans (14 ounces each) artichoke hearts in water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter,room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)
1 cup grated pecorino cheese (3 ounces)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped, plus leaves for garnish
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Directions
1) Remove leaves from 1 artichoke heart; pat dry, and reserve. Thinly slice remaining artichokes; pat dry.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheeses.
3) Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, and sliced artichokes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add to cheese mixture along with zest. Transfer to an 8-cup baking dish. Top with reserved artichoke leaves. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
4) Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.


I used 3 8.5-oz cans of artichokes, and that seemed fine. I also used dried thyme. You can serve it with crackers, bagel chips, or sliced veggies. Look for this recipe and more on Martha Stewart's website. Enjoy!

3 comments:

Shireen said...

Sounds and looks YUM! :)
Your salad was yummy, too! ;)
You're such an encourager, Kathryn...you help anyone to believe they can do anything!
I enjoyed spending some QT with you on Saturday night.
Love you, girl, Shireen

Anonymous said...

This looks yummy and you'll have to give me a handwritten copy when I'm up next week....I have no clue how to just print this off the web site!! Great weather down here- 70 degrees and cool breezes!! It will be perfect when Georgia comes to visit us!! Hugs, Grammie

Jackie said...

I love an artichoke dip but I like 5 ingredients or less. Try this one:
1 cup mayo
1 cup parmesan chees
a can or jar articokes drained & cut up.
Head at 350 and serve with Ritz crackers