A Healthy Twist on Parmesan-Artichoke Dip
When I was researching classic artichoke dips, I noticed many recipes were heavy in fat with large doses of mayonnaise, cream cheese, and smooth-textured cheeses. However, when I was experimenting with my dip, I added cream cheese and it overpowered the unique flavor of the artichokes. So, I started with artichokes as my star ingredient and vowed not to add any strong ingredients that would mask my star ingredient. Thus, I began by adding freshly grated, high-quality Parmesan cheese, but afterwards I was at a standstill. As a step forward, I added a combination of parsley, capers, and lemon zest, but it snuffed out the flavor of my artichokes. Then, I had a glorious “aha” moment. Why not add a tablespoon of the reserved marinade to enhance the Parmesan and artichoke taste? Low and behold, this was the perfect touch! The vinegar lent a bit of sourness to the salty flavor of the artichokes and Parmesan. Plus, the marinade's already imbued in the artichokes, so you aren’t introducing a new flavor. With a little luck, I stumbled on a delicious artichoke dip, which wasn’t as fat-laden as many of the recipes on the Internet. Plus, it has the added benefit of tasting like artichokes. Try it once and you’ll never go back!
Ingredients
- 1 x 24 oz. jar artichoke hearts in marinade
- 1/3 cup high-quality, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 T. or more marinade reserved
- Plain crackers, like Raincoast Crisps
Directions
- Step 1 Strain the artichokes. Empty the artichoke jar in a colander with a bowl underneath to catch the marinade. Set aside the marinade to reserve for later use. Then, quickly pat the artichokes dry, so the flavor of the marinade isn’t too strong.
- Step 2 Purée the artichokes. Cut off the artichoke bottoms and chop them in big pieces, setting them aside in their own mixing bowl. Then, take the remaining artichoke leaves and purée them in a blender (Note: I use a single-serve juicer attachment since my main blender has a hard time reaching the ingredients at the bottom). Whatever blender you use, be sure the result is a purée. In other words, the leaves shouldn’t be stringy, as the texture is off-putting. Finally, toss the reserved artichoke bottoms in with the artichoke leaf purée and mix.
- Step 3 Next, grate 1/3 cup of Parmesan and add it to the artichoke purée, with 1 T. or more of your reserved marinade. Check for seasoning, but the dip should not need salt because of the natural saltiness of Parmesan and artichokes.
- Step 4 Note: keep the marinade. You may need more if the dip sits in the fridge and dries out. Taste and adjust as needed when the dip is brought to room temperature. Also, you may need another dash of marinade if you’re pairing the dip with a strong cracker, so it doesn’t subtract from the dip’s subtle flavors. For that reason I suggest that you use a plain cracker.
This dip has a subtle orchestra of flavors, running from the salty hint of the artichokes and Parmesan cheese to the sour notes of the vinegar marinade. It is perfect in itself and does not need the heavy fat, as added by many others.
*Note: nutrition information is not available for this dip since nutrition calculators don’t have an accurate category for artichokes hearts drained of their marinade. Anything I would have provided wouldn’t be valid.