Artichoke Dip

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, and dishes that are like that (aren’t there ??) – that just seem to pair with certain people, that fit perfectly, almost as if the dish has chosen them … ? What do you think – true, or just crazy sounding??  

The “chosen” dips man is called Louie.  Around here, it gets confusing with the Italian word for “he”,  lui  being pronounced the same way.  To dodge the confusion, our nephew is known as “Louie Louie”,  and a drinks spread that features a delicious dip I think of as a  “Louie Louie Aperitivo”.

This artichoke dip is perfect with a drink.  It is inspired by the carciofini or baby artichokes that are now in season. I’ve heard it said that carciofini are a different variety of artichoke from the larger kind, but my veggie seller tells me, that they’re the smaller artichokes that sprout from the sides of the plant as the growing season nears the end, and the plant is put into wind-down mode.  Typically, carciofini are preserved in oil, and are known as cuori di carciofi, or artichoke hearts.  

For this recipe, preserved artichoke hearts 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 pairing 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!