We were fortunate to spend Sunday evening with good friends and good food at a pot-luck-type dinner in celebration of Purim. I unfortunately didn’t think to take pictures of the yummy food until we were about halfway finished with most of it or, as is the case of the Baked Artichoke Dip pictured above, there was way more of the “bottom of the dish” showing than dip.

But then I decided, hey, an empty dish really says a lot about the food right? It says it was so darn good, there wasn’t a bite left behind! Which I promise is almost always the case with this recipe for Baked Artichoke Dip (or as it is called in the Southern Living Cookbook where the recipe came from – Baked Artichoke Spread).

Now, I’ve never personally spread it on anything but it is amazing as a dip for tortilla or corn chips, or I’ve even used it as a dip for raw vegetables when I’m in a healthy mood. But either way, if you’re looking for a delish dairy appetizer, you cannot go wrong with this dip. In fact, I’ve made this dip so many times and for so many years that page 33 in my 1987 version of The Southern Living Cookbook has seen better days. It’s the most well-loved, well-used page in the entire book, which says just about as much about a recipe as an empty dish at the end of a party!

Baked Artichoke Dip (or Spread)

Ingredients:

• 2 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I’ve also used the powder type Parmesan but fresh is better)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I’ve also made this recipe with Light Mayo and it’s still decadent beyond belief so go ahead and save a few calories)
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I’m way heavy-handed with the next 3 ingredients … maybe more like several good shakes of garlic powder, Worcestershire and hot sauce)
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce
• Fresh parsley springs (I’ve never actually used the parsley in this recipe. I’m thinking the chef was trying to squeeze in at least 1 healthy ingredient)

Directions: 

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well. Spoon into a lightly greased 1 quart casserole or souffle dish. I always sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese on the top so the dip has a nice cheesy layer that will brown easily while baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (It actually take more like 30 – 40 minutes for the top to be nice and brown). Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve with toast points or melba rounds … or chips or raw veggies. 

Yield: 3 cups … which will be gone within the hour.

Happy Dipping & Happy Kosher Treif Cooking!