Duo of Dips: Artichoke Feta and Tomatillo Salsa

What’s better than one delicious dip? Two delicious dips!

I feel like an infomercial…. buy one recipe and get a second for free! Except no one is paying for these recipes.

Recently I had a friend come to visit Seattle for the first time. While I knew we would eat most of our meals out at restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and hole-in-the-wall gems, I wanted to make sure there was at least something at home to snack on. While it was comical that I thought the two of us could possibly eat a snack (since we pretty much ate like 78 meals a day at Seattle’s most exciting eateries), I was at least prepared if the urge to snack ever hit.

 

Artichoke Feta Dip

Adapted from Macrina Bakery

• 1 (14-ounce) can whole artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
• 1 large garlic clove, left in peel
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced thyme
• 8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces (1 1/3 cups) crumbled feta cheese, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place artichokes and garlic on lined baking sheet, drizzle on half the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (approximately 1/2 teaspoon of each), minced thyme, and toss to coat in oil. Roast in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for 15 minutes.

Place cream cheese and feta in the bowl of a food processor (using the steel blade). With the motor running, drizzle in remaining olive oil and blend until very smooth. Add cooled artichokes, remove peel from garlic (you should be able to easily squeeze it out), pulse entire mixture a few more times to slightly chop up artichoke (I like this dip somewhat chunky, but pulse additionally for a smoother consistency). Taste for seasoning. I found the feta I used was plenty salty so just added a bit more pepper.

Transfer to serving bowl. While I don’t typically garnish plates with completely random ingredients (this isn’t the 90s afterall, when every dessert was garnished with mint), I thought this needed a bit of color, so I added a sprig of parsley.

Eat immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 5 days (let come to room temperature before serving). I enjoy this most with pita chips, but flatbread, crackers, or a sturdy chip would work.

 

Tomatillo Salsa

Adapted from Rick Bayless

• 8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed (1 serano if you prefer more mild)
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh cilantro (thick stems removed), roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup minced white onion
• Salt

Preheat a broiler.

Roast the tomatillos and chile on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more.

In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos and chiles, including all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and pulse lightly until combined. Add 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree, and scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water (this removes some of that very strong oniony taste, feel free to skip if you really like onion), then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon.