One of my nephews is a major dips man. Like many (everyone?), he loves to chill with a drink and salty snacks, but add a few dips, and our man is in his true element. There are foods that are like that (aren’t there ??) – that just seem to fit perfectly with certain people, kinda/almost as if the dish has chosen them … ? This nephew, the guy “chosen’ by dips of the world is called Louie. The recipe below is for him, and it’s inspired by the carciofini or baby artichokes that are now in season (even if uses preserved ones – the inspo was there!).
Carciofini, some say, are a different variety of artichoke from the larger kind. Conversely, my veggie man tells me that they’re just the smaller artichokes that sprout from the sides of the plant as the growing season nears the end, and the plant goes into wind-down mode. Me – I’m not taking sides. I just know that they are delicious.
For this recipe, preserved artichoke hearts (also called cuori di carciofi) are combined with ricotta, olive oil, lemon, salt, and herbs to create a creamy, flavourful dip that is light and yet big on body. The portions below are totally flexible so adjust according to your preference for more creaminess, saltiness, herbiness, acidity etc. I love serving this dip with the local, Ligurian taggiasche olives or piling it on salty focaccia so I typically go easy on the salt in the recipe, but ramp it up if you’re planning to eat it with something less savoury like veggie sticks, regular bread, or will stir it through pasta. Likewise with consistency, vary the texture according to your taste. Me, I prefer dips on the chunky side, but if something smoother is your thing, go full throttle with the stick blender. Too easy and perfect with a drink. Cheers Louie!
Artichoke dip ~ Salsa di Carciofini
- 125g ricotta
- 80g drained artichoke hearts preserved in oil
- 35ml olive oil
- zest ½ lemon
- juice ¼ – ½ lemon
- pinch of salt
- handful of parsley
Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and combine with a stick blender until creamy.
