Before I retired I used to work as a Personal Chef for an American family that lived on a British Manor Estate. The summer months were prime months for entertaining. They had beautiful gardens and a beautiful outdoor area which was specifically designed for entertaining and eating out of doors.
It was situated at the back of the house, beneath a beautiful specifically designed wooden pergola which was draped in vines and flowers. Nicely shaded on a hot summer's day and perfectly chill on a summer's evening. A long table was set underneath which sat eight people quite comfortably.
The table would be laid out in a lovely way, but suiting the location. Laid with rustic but lovely table linens, china dishware and goblets. No silver was every used outside. Everything was always fairly casual, and yet at the same time very elegant.
I loved setting up the table for any of the dinner parties, be they casual or formal. What fun it was to get to work with such beautiful things. Things I would never have been able to afford to buy for myself and in a situation that I would never have been able to afford to entertain either.
The Mrs. always did the floral centerpieces. She had a real talent for that.
There were always several appetizers to be enjoyed prior to the first course. One of my boss's favorite ones was this lovely Spinach and Artichoke Dip. The guests loved it as well. No small wonder as it is truly delicious!
A variety of cheeses and vegetables are simply combined to form the ultimate dip for entertaining! Rich and creamy, it is filled with texture, color and beautiful flavors!
Aside from its ease of preparation, I loved that I could prepare it up to a day ahead of time, and refrigerate it, bringing it to room temperature on the day, and then baking it just prior to serving. Anything I could do ahead of time worked out well for me. Not that I am lazy, but I had a lot of work to do when it came to these get-togethers.
I had to do all of the shopping and prep myself, so if I could get ahead of the game by doing up a few dishes ahead of time, that made the actual dinner much simpler for me to execute. With three to four appetizers to prep, a first course, main course, and two or three desserts to prepare, anything that made things run smoother was welcome. This dip was a real favorite of mine!
Rich, creamy, delicious, and easy to prepare ahead of time? Where do I sign up! This has always been very much enjoyed by anyone I have ever made it for!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP
Pretty much a mix of store cupboard and fresh simple ingredients. There is nothing too much out of the ordinary here!
- 2 cups (260g) grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
- 1/4 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 14 ounces (397g) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 (8 ounce/227g) block of half fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 (8 ounce/227g) block of no fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 (5 ounce/142g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- Tortilla chips, crisp breads, crackers, etc. to serve
If you buy the freshest and best ingredients that you can, you cannot go wrong. I think for things like sour cream and cream cheese, the no name versions work just as well as any name brands.
When it comes to the other cheeses, I would definitely opt for quality, purchasing a good Mozzarella and a good Parmesan.
I like to use the Kirkland marinated artichokes. They have a lovely flavor. You can use in oil or brine. You drain them anyways, prior to chopping. If you are using the ones in oil, pat them dry prior to using.
Make sure you really squeeze the thawed spinach dry as well so you don't have a watery dip. You can use fresh spinach, steamed and chopped. Again, just be sure you squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can.
With all of the cheeses and the herbs from the marinated artichoke hearts you should not need any other seasoning but the pepper. But you can taste if you like and adjust as necessary or to taste.
HOW TO MAKE SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP
This is relatively simple and quick to make. If you have all of the ingredients prepped and ready before you start, it goes together in a flash!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an attractive baking dish.
Measure 1 1/2 cups (195g) of the mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Add the sour cream, both cream cheeses and 2 TBS of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir together to combine well.
Stir in the garlic, pepper, artichokes, and spinach. Mix well to combine.
Scrape into the prepped baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite dippers for dipping.
This can also easily be made well ahead of time, up to the baking part. Simply prep and spoon into the baking dish, topping with the cheeses. Cover and refrigerate.
Bring to room temperature (about 45 minutes resting time, out of the fridge) prior to baking to serve.
This is really delicious! Rich and creamy and loaded with plenty of spinach and artichokes. It is not surprising that it was one of the favorite appetizers that I used to bake at the Manor when I worked there. All of the guests loved it.
Any leftovers can be refrigerated and easily reheated in the microwave. I have never frozen it, so i cannot say for sure if you can. The leftovers are also really delicious spread over the top of chicken portions and baked for a simple, quick and easy supper dish.
There is nothing like a dip or a spread to serve as an appetizer for summer get-togethers. Well, any get-together really. Football games, Tail-gate parties, BBQ's, etc. Here are some more of my favorites!
SPICED BEAN DIP AND PITA CHIPS - This is my all-time favorite bean dip. It goes together quickly and uses things I generally always have in my store cupboard. It's rich and creamy and not so spicy that everyone can't enjoy it! Its just right. My home-baked pita chips go perfectly with it! A brilliant combination that will have everyone's taste-buds tingling and digging in for more!
HOMEMADE ONION DIP - This is a small batch recipe, making about 1 cup of this tasty homemade, from scratch dip. It can certainly be doubled to feed more people. Once you have tried making this dip from scratch with real caramelized onions, you will never be tempted to go with the other variety again. Fabulously delicious. A bazillion times better than anything you can buy ready made and not all that difficult to make either!
Yield: 5 1/2 cupsAuthor: Marie Rayner
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 MinCreamy, rich and delicious! This easy baked dip will be the star of any get-together!Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
- 1/4 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 14 ounces (397g) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 (8 ounce/227g) block of half fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 (8 ounce/227g) block of no fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 (5 ounce/142g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- Tortilla chips, crisp breads, crackers, etc. to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an attractive baking dish.
- Measure 1 1/2 cups (195g) of the mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Add the sour cream, both cream cheeses and 2 TBS of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir together to combine well.
- Stir in the garlic, pepper, artichokes, and spinach. Mix well to combine.
- Scrape into the prepped baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite dippers for dipping.
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