Artichoke Mint Dip #recipe by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  We love dips. Mr. Right is particularly adept—adipt?—at making them: Olive Tapenade, Hummus, Tzatziki, and a lovely hot Parmesan-Artichoke dip made with marinated artichokes. This warm weather variety requires no baking or cooking, and has the advantage of using a good chunk of mint creating havoc in the herb garden.

Mr. Right would love to add a little jalapeno—throw one or two in the food processor, with a teaspoon or so of the juice. Next time. It’s also fun dusted with a bit of sumac, if you have some—we love the lemony flavor and bright red color.

I have no idea where the little bear spreading knife came from, but considering the adventuresome bears who've sauntered through our yard and popped onto our deck---not pooped on it, thank goodness---this summer, it's apt!

Safe dipping, no matter what creatures pop by!

Artichoke Mint Dip

2-14 ounce cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained
1 teaspoon lemon peel or zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus a few extra leaves or sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil

crackers, toasted baguette slices, or pita chips for serving

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, using the metal blade, and process until smooth. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with a few leaves or sprigs. Serve with crackers, bread, or chips.

Keeps well, covered, in the fridge, 3-4 days.

Makes 3 cups.

 

From the cover of THE SOLACE OF BAY LEAVES, Spice Shop Mystery #5, out now in e-book and audio, in paperback October 20, 2020 (Seventh St. Books and Tantor Audio) : 

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves. 

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface ... 

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow. 

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories.  Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

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