Artichoke Dip

(Ann, this one's for you.)

Last night we had such a lovely time with lovely friends. Mom wanted some grilled salmon, and I LOVE how salmon, cream cheese, and Triscuits go together. So I figured a good beginner to the meal would be an artichoke/cream cheese dip served on top of Triscuits.

Ann wanted the recipe, and I was busy in the kitchen, so Mom gave her the closest thing I had in a cookbook - the Amerigo's version - but I had to tweak this recipe to go with what was in my kitchen. After so much calling out, "but I used mozzarella instead of Swiss," and "I added a couple cloves of garlic!" I realized the version I was serving didn't have much to do with the version in the book.

So here 'tis:

1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
3 cups mozzarella cheese
Black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
2 green onions, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 or get a fondue pot ready.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, cream the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan, and garlic until well combined.
3. Add mozzarella, peppers, and other seasonings (to taste), and pulse until combined.
4. Add artichoke hearts last and pulse unitl just combined.
5. Transfer to a 9x9 Pyrex dish or a fondue pot and stir in the green onion.
6. Either bake the Pyrex for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly and browned, or set the fondue pot on medium-low, stirring occasionally, and serve immediately with Triscuits or your choice cracker.
7. Serves 6-8

Photo courtesy of the California Artichoke Advisory Board. It's the official vegetable of Monterey.