Cheesy Artichoke Dip

My largest artichoke was finally on the verge of blooming, so I cut it.  It was still only the size of my fist, but bigger than last year's, and weighed over 6 oz.  The one I weighed in the market was 13 oz.

I could have simply steamed it as a side or chopped it up with a salad, but I've never made artichoke dip and thought I'd give it a try.

There are many versions of dips including artichokes online.  Spinach-artichoke is the most common, but I decided that I wanted to taste the veggie I had grown.  By picking the parts I liked out of several recipes, I came up with one that just happens to include only ingredients I have on hand.  Funny how that works.

I'm scaling this up to two grocery store-sized artichokes, or four times what I got.  Mincing the artichoke, onion, and garlic wasn't a chore for the small version.  If you don't feel like doing that, roughly chop them instead and pulse the batch in the food processor after simmering.  Warning, that will increase the simmering time to over 20 minutes.

2 artichokes, dark green leaves & choke removed, minced
*1 C onion, minced
*6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tb olive oil
*salt & white pepper to taste
1 C water
*1/2 C dry sherry
2 C shredded colby-jack cheese
*1 C Greek yogurt


1.  In a medium saucepan, sauté artichoke, onion, and garlic in olive oil until onions wilt, about 5 minutes.  Add salt, white pepper, water, and sherry.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer until artichokes are very tender, about 10 minutes for minced or 20-30 minutes for chopped.

2.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Remove pan from heat.  Run mixture through the food processor if not minced.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Stir in yogurt until everything is combined.  Pour into oven-safe serving dish and cook until bubbly, about 15 minutes.  Serve hot with crackers, bread, or veggies.

Makes about 4 cups, or 8 servings

Difficulty rating  :)