Use up some of your Swiss Chard leaves in this spinach and artichoke style dip!
This tastes very much like the spinach dip you're used to but it has a great pink hue that makes it a fun and tasty alternative. Serve as part of a crudités platter of goodies from your basket-bell peppers, snap peas, salad turnips, radishes, carrot sticks. Also great with pita chips, flat breads, tortilla chips...whatever floats your boat.
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed (about 5-6oz)
14oz tin of artichokes, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2oz cream cheese
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (and a little extra for the top)
1-2 serrano chillies, chopped and deseeded if preferred (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350C
First remove the stems from the swiss chard and rinse off the leaves. You can save the stems for something else later..saute them up with some garlic, olive oil and carrots or stir fry with other veggies.
Saute the leaves in a pan with the residual water from rinsing, just until wilted. Then squeeze out some of the excess water before wither adding to a food processor or chopping up.
If you're using a food processor, add the artichokes, garlic, chillies and the juice of the lemon and blend until chopped up.
Otherwise, just chop it all up as fine as you can.
In a bowl mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise and then add the swiss chard mix and parmesan and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place in a baking dish (mine is 7x10") and scatter some of the extra cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25mins or until bubbling and the cheese is melting on top.