Hot Stove Top Artichoke Spinach Dip & Other Dip Favorites

I’m clinging on to the last few days of 2012 so that I can indulge in my buffet of cheese dips and margaritas before 2013 hits. Starting next week, I’ll focus on being a good girl and sticking to my new years health “goals”. It’ll probably be a few weeks before I break those goals or at least swerve off to the dark side again.

But with only a few days left, let’s discuss the topic of cheese dips and how wonderful they make us feel. I honestly believe a warm batch of cheese dips made with my favorite parmesan cheese, cream cheese and spinach is chicken soup for the soul.

There’s just something inherently pleasing, warming and soul satisfying in a bowl of cheese dips. So to end the year with a bang, I’ve added another recipe to my collection, a simple stove top artichoke spinach dip recipe to wow your friends.

This is an adaptation of my old stove top spinach dip, which had plenty of onions and water chestnuts. But then I realized that I was making this artichoke version all along and never posted it.

So here it is, my favorite artichoke spinach dip that takes just a few minutes to make, but brings in loads of joy to the party.

I’ve also included my other favorite dip recipes that have been serious crowd pleasers over the last five years.

 

Hot Chorizo Dip: My younger brother adapted this chorizo dip from one of my recipes and adding the flavorful and salty sausage in it. His version took me by surprise because I didn’t even think of adding chorizo in a dip.

Not only is his version a great recipe, he’s also become popular amongst his own friends for this dip. As you can tell, big sister me is super proud of him. But I often wonder if he ever credits the original recipe to me when he’s with his friends? hmmm….

Hot Crab Dip: This is another one of those dips that took me by surprise because I used to never add crab to a hot dip. I had heard from so many friends how they love a hot crab dip, so that got my mind churning on how I could adapt one of my existing dips to the addition of crab.

A few years ago I started to experiment and came up with this flavorful dip for crab lovers. It has plenty of texture from the onions with a nice balance of crab flavor that comes through in all the cheese.

Stove Stop Spinach Dip: This is my original stove top dip that inspired me to create dip recipes outside the oven. On sweltering hot summer days when we’re having an outdoor party, spinach dip is always on the menu, but I get so exhausted just thinking about turning on the hot oven.

So I took my basic oven baked spinach dip and made it on the stove top. The results were equally fabulous, if not better because I was able to brown the onions and garlic for extra flavor.

Baked Brie & Sun Dried Tomato, Thyme Dip: Back in 2008 we were at a holiday party and a friend brought this incredible baked brie dip. I was already a fan of both brie and sun dried tomatoes, so the first bite was an exciting love affair for me. I was completely smitten with the flavor and texture of this incredible dip.

One of Todd’s old co-workers, Jason, shared the recipe and I immediately shared it on the blog, with the added addition of fresh thyme.  This brie dip has been in my collection of dip recipes over all these years and it’s always a top favorite too.

 Sriracha Beach Dip Recipe: On occasion, I’ve been known to make healthy dips too, ones with no cheese but still, with plenty of flavor and texture. This sriracha bean dip recipe was made on a whim when I was craving some light protein. With a can of white beans in my pantry combined with my love for spicy sriracha hot sauce, i made this super simple dip that has gotten raves from all around.

Add some fresh raw vegetables to dip and what you have is a guilt free party appetizer that even your cheese loving friends (like me!) can still appreciate.

 Mango Salsa Recipe: This is probably the healthiest “dip” in my collection, but some consider this more of a side dish than maybe a dip. Either way, it can be enjoyed with a bag of potato chips or as a side salad.

If it’s a summer gathering or for a picnic, this mango salsa is something I’ll reach for first. The super fresh flavors make this salsa really exciting on salads, seafood or tacos. It’s bright, juicy, sweet and full of flavor. Add a margarita along side and you have a perfect celebration for Cinco de Mayo.

Whew. Now I feel my dip recipe collection is much more complete now that I’ve included the artichoke spinach version. And I do hope you treat yourself to something warm and cheesy before the year ends because I truly believe that we all deserve a heaping spoonful of decadent joy.

Enjoy!

diane

Cooking Method for Artichoke Spinach Dip on the Stove Top:

cook onions, garlic, artichoke hearts and spinach

Add milk, cream cheese, mayo and parmesan cheese. Combine till bubbly.

Serve hot immediately or (optional) you can bake in oven at 350 degrees after it’s made to re-warm it for guests. But make sure you use a larger baking vessel and not overload the dip. Like I did.

Yield: Serves 4-6

Total Time: 30 min

This artichoke spinach dip recipe is adapted from my older stove stop spinach dip. The other spinach dip has water chestnuts instead of artichoke hearts. You can also try baking this dip recipe in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. If you do decide to bake this dip, eliminate the vegetable oil and only use 1/4 cup of milk. And make sure to soften the cream cheese first to make mixing the ingredients together much easier.

Pre-make: The night before a party, I've also pre-made large batches of this dip and placed them in baking dishes and chilled them in the fridge. When the party day arrives, I'll take out the dip and allow it to come to room temperature, then bake it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until all the cheese is completely melted and hot.

1 can of artichoke hearts (14 oz), drained and chopped1 package of chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained of excess water)1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese1 Tablespoon vegetable oil1 medium onion, minced1 large clove of garlic, minced1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated3/4 cup of milk1/4 cup of mayoplenty of fresh cracked black pepper1 teaspoon of kosher or sea saltchips or crackers for dippingIn large heated saucepan, add oil. When oil is hot, add the minced garlic and onions. Cook the onions and garlic till they are light brown, but not burnt.Add chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until ingredients are combined well.In this order: Add milk first, the stir. Then add cream cheese, mayo and parmesan cheese. When cream cheese begins to melt, turn heat to low.Slowly stir and simmer ingredients till all cheese is completely melted and dip becomes creamy and well combined. Cook for about another 2-3 minutes to blend flavors together.Serve immediately when it's warm with bread, crackers or tortilla chips.

View the original article here

Grilled artichoke stems with tarragon garlic butter, a edible extension of the heart

Spring Fling is here and were celebrating Spring’s bounty with Deb, Editor of Food Network, Margaret of Away to Garden, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen and Nicole of Pinch My Salt.

This week’s theme is artichoke and to participate, just share your artichoke recipe link in our blog on the comments below, as well as the blogs of all our participating friends!

Yesterdays trip to our local farm stand was better than we ever expected. They always have the most beautiful field of artichokes growing and when the artichokes go to flower, a sea of purple buds decorate the normally stark field lying alongside the major freeway.

We were fortunate that they still had beautiful, tender artichokes for sale. At a whopping 75 cents a head, these farm fresh artichokes were the best deal in town. It’s times like these that we can afford to eat artichokes till we drop!

Earlier that morning, the farmers kept the long stems on the artichokes and they were gorgeous displays in the corner of the stand. It was hard to decide if the artichokes should be cooked or be left as a floral decoration. The farm-stand lady grabbed the artichokes we requested and told us to eat the stems because they’re edible extensions of the heart.

We were amazed and enlightened to hear such information! eat the artichoke stem? they’re tender extensions of the heart? that makes total sense! how do you prepare them? After showering her with a series of curious artichoke stem questions, she was equally enthusiastic to share how she prepares her stems.

With a quick little tutorial from the stand-lady, we so excited to be buying artichokes with the long stems and to cook with them! The stems on the artichokes were perfect tender specimens to be extensions of the heart.

Depending on how young the artichokes are, you may or not want to peel the artichoke stems. It isn’t always necessary, but with slightly older stems, peeling makes them a little better.

For grilling artichokes, unless they are super tender, we will boil them first and then grill them just to slightly char and add a nice smokey flavor. In between boiling and grilling, the ‘chokes and stems will get marinated, then that marinade is later used as part of the garlic butter. No waste, all delicious flavor!

More artichoke recipes from our Spring Fling friends:

 Print This Recipe
Grilled Artichokes and Stems with Garlic Tarragon Butter
The quality of the artichokes you are able to get will vary time it takes to cook them. Older artichokes are usually tougher and require longer cook times. Cook by feel and testing, rather than times. For this recipe, first you boil them to mostly cook the artichokes, then marinate them, then finish by grilling to give them an extra special “smokey” quality. When boiling, you’ll want the artichokes nearly all the way cooked, as they won’t cook much more on the grill.  The step is more for the smokey flavor. If you can find artichokes with the stems still attached, cook the stem up too. It is like a extension of the heart. Serves 6. 6 medium Artichokes with Stems4 T Sea Salt (for boiling water)2 small Lemons3/4 c Olive Oil1/4 c preferred Vinegar (we’ll mostly use Rice Wine Vinegar, but any vinegar will work)3 T crushed Garlic, divided1/2 c (1 stick) cold, unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2? chunks2 t Sea Salt, for sauce2 T fresh Lemon Juice2 T minced Fresh Tarragonfresh cracked Black Pepper, to tasteBring a large stock pot 3/4 filled with water to a boil. While the water heats, trim the artichokes. Cut off the stems, and cut them into manageable lengths (usually in half). Peel the outer layer of the stems and rub with half of a lemon. Trim the top third off of the artichokes, then trim the tips of the remaining leaves.Slice the remaining 1 1/4 lemons into large wedges and put in the boiling water. Add the 4 T of sea salt to the water, then add the artichokes and stems. Place a few layers of paper towels over the artichokes to weigh them down, sinking them deeper in the water. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until the heart is tender when pierced and an outer leaf pulls off easily and the meat is tender.Drain and allow to cool upside down in a colander until easy to handle. Slice stems in half. Cut artichokes in half and remove choke with a small spoon.Combine olive oil, vinegar, and 1 T of garlic in a plastic bag large enough to marinate the artichokes and stems. Add artichokes and stems to the marinate, toss to coat, and allow to marinate 30 minutes to an hour.Heat a grill set up for direct heat. Remove artichokes and stems from marinade (reserving the marinade to make sauce) and grill artichokes and stems until lightly charred, about 5 minutes.Add remaining marinade to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat.  Add remaining 2 T of garlic and cook until garlic is soft (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Whisk in butter chunks until completely melted. Add sea salt, lemon juice, tarragon, and black pepper, whisking to combine. Serve immediately with grill artichokes and stems.

View the original article here