An Absolute Must For Any Winter Dinner Party: Warm Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Dip

An Absolute Must For Any Winter Dinner Party: Warm Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Dip

Warm Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Dip

This post is neither about Indian Cooking 101 nor Asian fusion cuisine. It’s just one of the best appetizers ever. I made it a couple of nights ago, realized it wasn’t on the blog, and had to share it with you. Here’s the story…

Our friends Todd and Meng live in Brooklyn and came for dinner on Thursday evening. Todd is a dear friend and we’ve been long waiting to meet his lovely wife Meng, who is very pregnant and due next month. What to make for a Thursday evening dinner party in the middle of winter for someone who is eight months pregnant…and coming up to Harlem in the freezing cold after work? I suddenly remembered: a warm sundried tomato and artichoke dip. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold February night. I discovered the recipe nearly 20 years ago…I was at a crowded cocktail party in a tiny apartment the Upper East Side and noticed all the guests hovering around this dip, which the hostess had spotted in an issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine. I thought, what could be so great about it that everyone was flocking to one dish? There are plenty of spinach & artichoke-type cheesy dips around, for instance. What makes this dip addictive is the sundried tomatoes, which knocks all the other hot artichoke dips out of the water.

Dinner Party Appetizers

If we’re hosting a dinner party on a busy weeknight after work, I usually put out a spread of charcuterie (cured meats, cheeses, and nuts), fresh vegetables, and different types of crackers. As guests are digging in, I put the dip in a 350F oven and after 20 min set it in the middle of the table.

Combining shredded Swiss cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, minced garlic, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese in a hot oven results in an oozing, comforting, perfect bite of warm, cheesy, sweet, salty goodness. You can pair it with baguette or crackers, anything you have on hand, really. As we chatted about baby swings and infant bath seats, I smiled as Meng kept eating the dip and as Todd said how much he loved artichokes. If you need an appetizer idea for your next dinner party, you must make this dip. As an added plus, you can prepare it in advance by combining all the ingredients in an oven-proof dish and sticking it in the fridge. Once you’re ready to serve it, bake it in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, et voila! Your guests will inhale it. I promise. This is an absolute must for any winter dinner party.

Better Homes and Gardens: Tomato and Artichoke Dip

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • 14oz can of artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped
  • 8oz package of shredded Swiss cheese (2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • Breadsticks or crackers