Artichoke Dips

Artichoke Dip (Baked) & Artichoke Dip

 

Artichoke Dip

Bake: none

Prep: 10-15 min

Serves: 6

According to ancient myth, an angry Zeus transformed a beautiful young woman named Cynara into an exquisite purple flowering plant. Cynara, the genus name for this lovely thistle-like plant, derives from the Greek word kynara, meaning artichoke (ankinára). Serve dip cold with pita wedges, vegetables, bread or chips.

 

12 marinated artichoke hearts	1 tablespoon dill, chopped
1 cup plain 5% Greek whole-milk yogurt*	Zest of 1 medium lemon
1/2 cup Greek feta, crumbled	1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup mizithra cheese, finely grated**	Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Drain jarred artichokes in a colander and then put in a cheese cloth to squeeze out excess moisture; do not include any extra liquid from the jar. Roughly chop artichoke hearts. Typically, a 12-ounce jar of marinated artichokes contains 6-7 artichoke hearts cut in halves or quarters. Mix chopped artichokes with remaining ingredients.

 

*Drain yogurt through cheesecloth if too runny. **May use Parmesan in place of mizithra.

 

Cook's note: prefer using Fage® brand yogurt.

Artichoke Dip (Baked)

 

Bake: 30 min Prep: 10-15 mins Serves: 6   The artichoke is celebrated in Iria, Greece, with a yearly festival featuring Greek music, singing, dancing and, of course, artichokes. Grated kefalotyri may be added with the feta for a nuttier, saltier taste. Serve dip hot with pita wedges, vegetables, bread or chips.   8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives 1 cup plain 5% Greek whole-milk yogurt* 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 cup Greek feta, crumbled 1/4 teaspoon pepper       Cook the frozen artichokes per the directions on the package. Once cooled, pat dry and roughly chop. Chop the Kalamata olives. Combine all ingredients and spread into a 9 by 14-inch baking dish misted with cooking spray. Bake at 3750F for 3o minutes until dip starts bubbling. *Drain yogurt through cheesecloth if too runny.

Variations from Sandy Whitall:

1. Add 1 teaspoon oregano plus 2 teaspoons chopped Kalamata olives. I buy mine in bulk size from Cost Co)

2. Two drops hot sauce of choice plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce.

Please enter your variations in the chat section.

More on the story of the artichoke:

Zeus was quite smitten with Cynara, a mere mortal, and turned her into a goddess. Cynara became homesick to see her mother and went for a visit to the mortal world. Zeus became angry with her for thinking she left him and turned her into an artichoke.

 

On July 4th, Laura (my husband Paul's daughter) and I made two artichoke dips.  One was baked with artichokes,  Kalamata olives and Kefalotyri cheese and the other  made with spinach and kefalotyri.  Both dips were made with Greek yogurt.

We invited the neighbors over to taste and test.  Everyone chose their favorite by dropping a flag on a plate next to their favorite choice.  Almost all of the adults chose the baked dip with Kalamata olives and all the kids chose the dip with spinach.  Laura and I liked the baked dip with the Kalamata olives. (I think I heard one parent saying the kids vote doesn't count).

We, also, tried Moschofilero, 2020, a dry white wine from the Peloponnese region of  Greece and a Saint-George Agiorgitiko, 2017, red dry wine, also, from the Peloponnese region.  I found them at Fotis and Sons in Huntington Beach, CA.  Everyone loved the wine. 

*A special thank you to Georgia Pappas, Mary Vlahakis and Andria Salsman for their cheese/artichoke dip inspirations,1991 Greek Festival by the Sea Greek Cookbook.