I tend to be a generous person. As a child, my mom used to pack me several times the amount of food for lunch because I shared with everyone. And… until recently I’ve been very generous about everything. I share notes, I share tips for school, I share my time, I share a lot of things… but recently I’ve been feeling the opposite of generous. I don’t feel like talking to anyone. I don’t want to share. I don’t want to give anyone anything. And the phrase “THAT IS MINE” keep bubbling out of my lips. Childishly so. There is actually no point to this story. I just thought I’d share these new childish personality developments in my life.

Anyway. The point of this post was to share my new favorite thing on earth. Spinach Artichoke dip. I did some research on spinach artichoke recipes and I couldn’t find a one that I agreed with. Some of them add a roux (which I hate because I think it smells like play-doh) and some use peppers (which I find slimy) and then some used milk (which I hate buying because I don’t drink it) and some used packaged mixes (which I eschew with disdain). I know. I’m a difficult person. Anyway. I made several different versions of this dip before I settled on this particular ratio. This dip is not creamy and gooey, but instead it is heavily packed with spinach, caramelized onion, and chopped artichoke all held together with a bit of cheese and burnished in the oven to a golden crisp. I will tell you up front… this dip? This dip was not cheap nor was it quick, but it is absolutely worth the effort.

Kaprise Kitchen’s Spinach Artichoke Dip

• 3/4 pound of fresh baby spinach
• 28 oz of artichokes, chopped and drained well
• 1 red onion, diced
•  4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 8 ounces of cream cheese (use a good quality, full fat cream cheese)
• 8 ounces of sour cream (again, use a good quality and full fat variety)
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese (for the third, and shockingly not the last time, a good one that is full fat)
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (tada! a good and full fat variety)
• 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan (guess what? use a good and full fat variety)
• salt and pepper to taste
• About 4 tablespoons of butter

1. In a large saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter. Saute the spinach and garlic in batches until just wilted. Set aside in a colander to drain.
2. Wipe out your pan, and melt another chunk of butter. Saute the onion until caramelized and fragrant. Add a sprinkle of salt to help the onion along.
3. Once the onion has caramelized, toss the chopped artichoke in the pan with the onion and another chunk of butter. Toss and allow the artichoke to gather some color as well. Set the artichoke/onion mixture aside.
4. In the same pan, slice in the cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the sour cream.
5. In the cream mixture, stir in the artichoke and onion mixture. Remove from heat
6. Gently squeeze the spinach leaves to remove excess liquid. On a clean cutting board, roughly chop the spinach
7. In the saucepan (or a large mixing bowl if you pan won’t accomodate all the ingredients), combine the spinach with the artichoke/onion/cream mixture.
8. Fold in the feta and mozzarella, making sure that the cheeses are evenly incorporated.
9. Take a quick taste of the dip… add more salt and pepper as needed. You might get creative and add some cayenne for an extra kick, or throw in some diced jalapeño. The world is your own bowl of dip! (because oysters gross me out)
10. Divide into oven-safe dishes and top with parmesan.
11. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden on the top.
12. ENJOY!!!!!!