Italian-style artichoke spread

A great appetizer and sandwich topping!

We love this mixture cold, ,at room temperature or bubbling hot from the oven. It’s so simple to make but offers great flavour and can serve multiple purposes such as a sandwich spread or even a garnish for vegetables or fish. If serving as an appetizer dip, I recommend crostini, sturdy crackers or even crudites to use as dippers.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) brine from jar (not can) of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup (110 g) marinated artichoke hearts (from jar)
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1/3 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) cream cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Method

• Place brine, oil and garlic in a heatproof vessel (I used a 4 cup / 1 L glass measure). Microwave on medium-high for 30 seconds to parcook the garlic. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
• While mixture is cooking, chop artichoke hearts very finely, removing any coarse outer leaves and discarding. Finely mince capers.
• Add artichokes, capers, Parmesan, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper to cooled garlic mixture. Stir to blend well.
• Mixture can be enjoyed immediately or transferred to an ovensafe dish and baked at 350F for about 20 minutes, until bubbling.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.