Warm Artichoke Dip with Sourdough Toast Points

                                    


Pre-Thanksgiving dinner appetizer... our daughter moved back home a few weeks ago, and brought some food with her. One of the things she brought was a can of artichoke hearts, not something I'd buy myself, but I decided to make a hot dip with it, and use the sourdough bread up by making toast points to dip in it!

Drain the artichoke hearts, and chop them roughly.
Place them in the food processor, along with:

1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cream cheese

Pulse until the artichokes are chopped into small pieces, and it is well combined.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and place in a bowl.

Add:

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 good spoonfuls of mayonnaise
a good handful of grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Mix well to combine, and place in an ovenproof dish.

 To make the toast points, cut thinly sliced sourdough bread into strips, about 1" wide.

Place on a baking sheet.

 Bake at the same time as the dip, in a 350F oven, until they are golden and crisp, turning them over part of the way through.






Heat the oven to 350F. Bake the dip until it is heated through, golden on top and bubbling. Serve with toast points, crackers or vegetables for dipping.

• You can add chopped, cooked spinach to the dip.
• Instead of using only cream cheese, use half (or all) goat cheese. This will give a tangy flavour to the dip.
• Caramelize an onion, and add this to the dip before heating it. This will add sweetness.
• Adding chopped sundried tomatoes will add spiciness and texture.
• Use whatever fresh herbs you have available. I wanted to use basil, but I didn't have any fresh. Chives will add an oniony zing.
• If you have white, or smoked, cheddar, substitute that for the Parmesan.