I am hosting a dinner party and plan to serve Naan bread (East Indian pan fried bread). For a spread (or dip), I am using this recipe because the tanginess of artichokes mixed with the calmness of mayonnaise compliments the zesting garlic taste of the Naan.
This recipe is quick and the ingredients are simple. The prep time is short and it’s ready to serve fresh from the oven. You should plan on starting this an hour before you intend to serve.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 (13 oz.) cans artichoke hearts – drained
- 3/4 cup + 1 TBL Parmesan cheese – divided
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce – optional
- Red chili powder – optional
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Preheat oven to 350 degs. F.
- Coat a 1 1/2-quart baking/serving dish with cooking spray.
- Place all ingredients except the 1 TBL of cheese in a food processor and process until well combined.
- Pour into baking dish and sprinkle remaining TBL of Parmesan over the top. Sometimes I will sprinkle New Mexico red chili powder on top to provide some character and color. You can also substitute paprika.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and heated through.
For plating your appetizer, you have two options.
- Serve the Nann in the large flat pieces it was made in and the spread in the bowl it was baked in. This option lets guest tear their Naan into smaller pieces and dip the Naan in the spread. You can serve the spread right out of the oven with this community option.
- Cut the Naan into bitesize pieces (I like diamond shaped) and place the spread on each piece. This option requires making the Naan and spread in advance and letting both cool down. While this approach can be more elegant, the down side is the both the bread and spread will not be hot and the spread could be runny making it hard to keep the bite-sized bits looking good.
