French bread is pretty easy to find and readily available. If you don't know what it is, let me describe it for you: It is a long, round bread that is crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. It is also called French baguette.
Actually, forget that. Here's a much better description: it's the bread that your kids play with when you go inside a bakery. Yeah, the one they use as pretend sword to play sword fight. That's it.
If there was French bread in my pantry, it would be sliced inch-thick, buttered, and toasted. My husband and I particularly like that for breakfast.
But one evening, I decide to do something else with the french bread I bought earlier that day. I decide to sweat it out and make a spinach artichoke spread to go with it.
To make this delicious spread, take about two packs of spinach, and pull out the leaves. Throw away leaves that are brown, rotten, or those with holes in them. You don't want to use that stuff.
Wash the fresh green spinach leaves with cold water.
Normally I use frozen packed spinach, because they're so much easier to work with. All you basically need to do with them is thaw and drain. But it is hard to find. So when they're available, go ahead and stock up on those. Just stick them in the freezer until ready to use.
And no, fresh isn't necessarily better than frozen produce. In fact, the frozen variety can have a higher nutrient content than the fresh ones. That's because they're frozen right after picking. Fresh ones can sit in your local grocery shelf for quite some time, often subject to contamination.
And PLUS, the frozen variety can taste even better than fresh ones.
And PLUS PLUS it generally costs less than the fresh counterpart.
Nope, didn't make that up!
That information is straight from Reader's Digest September 2012 issue.
Page 67.
Because I read RD regularly. That stuff is brain food my friends.
Oh by the way, my fresh spinach only cost me thirty-six pesos. That makes me happy.
I take out a can of artichokes from my shelf.
That cost me one hundred seventy-five pesos! That makes me sad...
I try to recall buying any piece of canned anything more expensive than that... canned blueberries maybe?
I open the can, drain the artichokes, rinse them several times with cold water, drain them again, and finally chop them up into bite size pieces.
Then I take out about a dozen piece black olives. These usually come in jars submerged in some olive-y solution. No need to wash them.
I heat up a saucepan on medium high heat. Throw in a tablespoon of butter and let melt until sizzling. Feel free to use olive oil if you prefer.
Add a tablespoon of chopped garlic.
Dump in the artichokes and cook for a bit.
Throw in all of your spinach and cook until wilted.
And BE PATIENT!
When the spinach has wilted, take the whole thing out of your saucepan and let cool. You may or may not want to chop the whole thing into smaller pieces. I chop mine.
To make the base of the dip, heat two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. I use the same saucepan. Please excuse the artichoke pieces still left on it.
Add two tablespoons of flour and mix with your butter. You should have a roux. You know, that pasty like substance. Let that cook for a minute.
Add two cups of milk. Stir.
Stir some more.
In fact don't stop stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
When it does, add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Stir again until cheese has melted and blended with your base.
I told you this was sweating it out.
By the way you can also use parmesan cheese. That would have more bite in it.
Finally mix in your spinach artichoke olive mixture to the base.
Turn off the heat if it starts looking like so:
Now on to your french bread. Cut this in half. Then cut the half in half lengthwise. Make sure they are about equally thick.
Don't be like me. One side was twice as thick as the other.
I only need to slices, one for me and one for hubby.
I put the slices in a small baking dish, then spoon some of the spinach spread liberally on top.
I know I know I really suck at taking pictures. In fact I'm so bad your eyes are starting to hurt.
How do I know??
Because my eyes are hurting too.
Stick the whole thing it in the broiler for five minutes to let the cheese melt on top.
If you're serving this as a spread, put some spinach mixture in a ramekin. Then spoon some shredded cheese on top.
You may or may not want to stick that in the oven. Up to you! But serve that with half-an-inch thick sliced and toasted french bread.
I have so much leftover spinach spread, so I get a very, very clean empty glass jar (I sterilize it just to make sure) and put my still hot spread inside. I will put that jar inside the ref.
This spread don't keep for two long, maybe three days max. So yes, we will be having this spread for the next two days or so.
Now, time to enjoy.
Dig in my friends!
Mmmm... delish!
Eat and be merry!
Summary of Ingredients:
Half of a french loaf
12 pcs black olives
2 packs of fresh spinach (or 2 pack of frozen spinach)
1 can artichoke
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
3-4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
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