Spinach Artichoke Dip

1. I like making this with artichoke hearts in brine because the mild tang cuts through the richness of the dip. It’s also far less messy to drain because it’s not oily! However, this is also terrific made with artichokes marinated in olive oil – and more indulgent. We don’t have frozen plain artichokes here in Australia but even if we did, I’d probably still use the jarred variety because there’s extra flavour.

2. I am loyal to Philadelphia, so I’ve never tried this with any other brand of cream cheese. As long as it tastes like Philadelphia cream cheese and it softs fine in the microwave, then it will work just fine.

3. Australia – I really urge you to get a branded frozen spinach, like Logan Farm or Birds Eye or Macro. Not a no frills / really cheap one. I used a value brand once and the spinach literally disintegrated when it defrosted. It was so fine, I lost a great deal of spinach squeezing the excess liquid out. It’s fine to use value brands when stirring spinach into something, but not when you need to remove excess water, like in this recipe.

4. Mayonnaise adds flavour and richness to the dip. You can use more sour cream or yoghurt, for a healthier version.

5. The addition of cheese adds extra flavour into this dip! Use a cheese with good strong flavours, like cheddar, Colby, Montery Jack, Tasty (this is a popular Aussie cheese). Mozzarella is also fine but it won’t add as much flavour.

6. STORAGE: This recipe can be kept for days in the fridge. I’ve kept it for 4 days and couldn’t tell the difference in flavour, except I refreshed it with a bit of garlic. It also freezes great - thaw then reheat and give it a real good mix, it comes together like freshly made.

NOTE: if you make this with fresh garlic instead of powder, make sure you consume it within 3 days (minced raw garlic goes off in 3 days).