Swiss Chard & Artichoke Dip

That quintessential spinach dip but with a summer garden twist. Swiss Chard is a beautiful and colourful vegetable that is very versatile in the kitchen.

It’s been a staple in the Grey Arrow Farm CSA since I joined. It’s great as a side dish like this Coconut Creamed Swiss Chard recipe, or as a creamy lemony appetizer dip.

Swiss Chard & Artichoke Dip

• 5-7 cups Swiss Chard leaves; cleaned with stems removed. Thinly slice stems and set aside and chop greens into 1-inch pieces*.

• 2 shallots, diced small (or ¼ cup onion)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 250 g light cream cheese

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 lemon, juice and zest of

• 1 can artichoke hearts (14 oz), drained and chopped

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp garlic salt

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add thinly sliced stems and cook for another 5 minutes. Add greens and cook until wilted (3-5 minutes). You can add a splash of water to help the process. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

While the mixture is cooling, prepare the cream cheese mixture. In a small food processor or hand mixture, blend together cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice/zest, garlic powder, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Pour mixture into a large bowl and fold in artichoke hearts and Swiss Chard mix. Rest in the fridge for 1 hour before serving, or make the night before.

Garnish with fresh spring onion before serving.

*The Swiss Chard stems and leaves are separated as they have different cooking times.