This week, the City of Vidalia and Natchez, Inc celebrated and welcomed Vidalia Demin Mills with a fantastic reception and delicious treats from all over Concordia Parish. One such dish was the spinach and artichoke dip from the Duck’s Nest. Oh. My. I had dreams about it that night. It was creamy with a touch of spice. Slap. Your. Mama.
It made me think of another spinach and artichoke dip that I have dreams about occasionally from A la Carte in Cleveland, Mississippi. Thankfully, I am the proud owner of one of Charlotte Skelton’s last copies of her cookbook, Absolutely A la Carte (thanks, Aimee). Here is her version.
A la Carte Spinach-Artichoke Dip
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 – 2 tablespoons onion powder
Salt to taste
Ground white pepper to taste
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
Combine mozzarella and sour cream in a large bowl; stir in garlic and next 3 ingredients. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to mixture, stirring well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Keep warm in a chafing dish.
Now, Charlotte says to serve these with home-fried tortilla chips, which (let me tell you) make this dip exceptional. So, in case you want to go the extra mile (which is completely worth it), here is that recipe.
Home-Fried Tortilla Chips
24 corn tortillas
2 quarts sunflower or safflower oil
Salt to taste
Stack tortillas into piles or 6; with a sharp knife, cut each stack into 6 to 8 equal wedges onto paper towels. When the temperature registers between 375 to 400 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer, add a handful of tortilla wedges into an electric deep fryer. Fry for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Do not crowd the fryer, and fry the chips only until they’re crisp but not too dark. Transfer chips with a slotted spoon to paper towels, and season with salt. Continue frying other wedges.
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