Artichoke and Basil Dip

This dip is great served on melba toast strips (like in the photo) as a canape but also works well in a bowl surrounded by crunchy vegetable crudites and bread sticks to dip in.

I normally use tinned artichoke hearts in brine but it is also lovely made with deli-style artichokes in oil, you can then use the oil they come in rather than adding olive oil.

Ingredients

Approx. 250g Artichoke Hearts, roughly chopped

1 small clove of Garlic, roughly chopped

Bunch of Fresh Basil (approx. 10 large leaves)

2 tablespoons Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons Mayonnaise

Juice of half a Lemon

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

• Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and whiz until creamy and almost smooth but with some texture.  Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed, according to your taste.
• If you don’t have a food processor just use a large knife to finely chop the artichokes on a board with the basil.  Then transfer to a bowl, add minced garlic and the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine.