Goat Cheese & Artichoke Dip
A printable recipe may be found at The Crepes of Wrath
Everything is back to normal this week, sadly, including the weather (it rained this morning, then it started to snow). Kramer and I had a great time with my brother, Wyatt, all week. We went to the United Nations building (here's a photo of me with Ban Ki-Moon), Grand Central, FAO Schwartz to get candy, then we walked to Central Park to eat said candy. We had some nice dinners, and even got to hang out on the roof of our friend's office building, which had a great view of the city. Now it's time to count down the days until Kramer and I get to go back to Phoenix to visit everyone (except my poor father, who is on business in China until April and gets back into town on the same day that we leave). I can't wait to hang out in the hot tub, go hiking, and see people that we haven't seen in almost a year and a half!
This is one of the last items that I will be sharing with you from the Oscar party that we had in February. I've honestly been so busy that it's taken me this long to go through, edit the photos, and write up the recipes for all of the things we served. This was one of the dips (or spreads, whatever you want to call it) that we made. I didn't want to do the usual hummus with pita chips, but I still wanted to keep this dip light and maybe even a bit refreshing. I decided on goat cheese and artichokes, because it wasn't something I had seen at another party before and I absolutely adore goat cheese. The lemon zest completely brightens this dip up, while the goat cheese is hearty and creamy, and the artichokes lend a different level of flavor and just a bit of acidity to bring it all together. You will notice that this dip does not have any added salt, because the Parmigiano-Reggiano and capers add all of the salt that we need. Now, before you say that you don't like capers, please give this a chance! Capers are probably in more of your favorite foods than you'd think, like tartar sauce, marinara sauce, and plenty of spaghetti recipes. They are just little buds from the caper bush, and are salted and cured and/or brined, just like an olive. They are more interesting to use than just plain old salt in this artichoke dip, plus, since you will have leftover capers, it's the perfect excuse to go out and get some nice smoked salmon, bagels, and cream cheese (which we did). I used the leftovers of this dip to put on bagels and sandwiches, as well as finishing it off with some more pita chips. If you're sick of the same dips and spreads that you see everywhere, give this one a go! It's easily adaptable and tastes great without making you feel heavy.
Your ingredients.
Zest your lemon.
Roughly chop your parsley.
And rinse your artichokes. Puree these ingredients with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, goat cheese, mustard, capers, and ground black pepper.
Garnish with a few parsley leaves and serve with pita bread, pita chips, and/or vegetables.
Goat Cheese Artichoke Dip
A printable recipe may be found at The Crepes of Wrath
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
12 ounces high quality goat cheese
1/4 cup FRESHLY grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
zest of 1 lemon
ground black pepper, to taste
1. In a food processor or blender, combine the rinsed artichoke hearts, goat cheese, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, chopped flat leaf parsley, dijon mustard, rinsed capers, lemon zest, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Pulse until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve in a bowl garnished with some parsley leaves, and enjoy on pita chips, pita bread, or with veggies like carrots, celery, radishes, or cucumber.
A printable recipe may be found at The Crepes of Wrath