I kind of hate artichoke dips, and I’ll tell you why. When I hear the words “artichoke dip”, it triggers painful memories of my first job waiting tables during college for a national restaurant chain (that shall remain nameless), where meals often began with a hollowed out boule of white bread filled with glop that can only be described as a melted mass of processed cheese-food and traces of artichoke and spinach and god knows what else.

And that was just the beginning of the meal. 

Ten years later, I’m browsing the interweb, looking for something to bring to Mike and Jo’s that will pair well with wine and appeal to their young son’s sophisticated palate (this is not a joke). And for some inexplicable reason, I see the words “artichoke dip” on Martha’s site, and I read on.

Perhaps it was artichoke lust, or the fact that it involved two very sophisticated, delicious cheeses (and renewed my love affair with Pecorino Romano), but with one read I was sold.

The world would be a happier place if more people would make creamy sauces out of (real) amazing cheeses, and then pour them over steaming pans of sauteed artichokes, caramelized onions, and fresh herbs.

And just like that, I got over my aversion (with not a bread bowl in sight) and learned to love the dip. It was so fun watching Ash eat it too. Which is a credit to Mike and Jo. It went well with a few of the wines we drank – there was definitely a bordeaux in there, and some fun Spanish bottles that have escaped me (I’ll check WineSnob on my iPhone and get back to you). We scooped with blue tortilla chips and with crusty Italian bread and it was cheesy fantasticness.

Baked Artichoke Dip
Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart 

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

Remove leaves from 1 artichoke heart; pat dry, and reserve. Thinly slice remaining artichokes; pat dry.

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.

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.

Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Garnish with thyme leaves.

The feedback from blog readers was so positive for for my Roasted Tomato Garlic Hummus, that I decided it couldn’t hurt to share this yummy variation that looks quite similar but bursts with the flavor of fresh roasted red peppers. I whipped it up last night when we were feeling too lazy to get out of the house and it was delightful with a little homemade herb focaccia. 

I love making hummus because it can be prepared and enjoyed almost instantly. 

Just 20 minutes in the oven on 350 degrees and presto – the garlic is almost melting in its skin and the peppers are perfectly softened.

If you’re not into spontaneous hummus making and you plan ahead you can soak your chickpeas and save yourself some money. Since this was a last-minute decision, I used a 12 oz can. Put you roasted garlic cloves, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, the juice of one lemon (no zest this time – it overpowers the pepper flavor), and salt and pepper to taste into the food processor. Start with one tablespoon of olive oil in there as well, adding more if you would like a more creamy hummus. Allow the food processor to do its thing until you are satisfied with the texture. Plate and serve (shown here garnished with a cilantro oil that Brian made) or put in the fridge for later. 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 fresh red pepper

3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1 lemon

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Remove the seeds from a red pepper and slice it into fourths. Place on a pan with three cloves of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peppers and garlic are soft.

Place roasted peppers into the food processor and squeeze the garlic out of its skins on top of the peppers. Add 12 oz. drained chickpeas, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and begin to run the food processor. If you feel that the mixture is too dry, ad more oil as needed. Blend until you are happy with the level of smoothness.

Plate and serve warm, or cover and place in the fridge to serve chilled at a later point in time.