We recently had a pot luck lunch at work and
a coworker brought in a Mexican style 7 layer dip. I immediately started to
think how I can make an Italian version of this dish that tasted lighter and
focused on the vegetables. What I came up with was an appetizer that contained three
melting cheeses fused with the taste of tomatoes, herbs, olives, and artichoke
hearts all in one bite on a toasted baguette. I hope that this is just the
starting point for you to try many other variations. Let your imagination spice
up your cooking.
½ C Olive Oil
1
Clove Garlic
¼
lb Ground Beef or Ground Pork *
1
C Marinara Sauce
Salt
& Pepper
1
C Freshly Grated Parmesan Regiano
1
14oz Can Artichoke Hearts (drained & chopped fine)
1 C (~2.5oz) Shredded
Fontina Cheese
1 2.5oz Can
Sliced Olives (drained) *
1 C Roasted Red
Peppers (drained and diced)
1 C Shredded
Mozzarella
1 C Diced
Tomatoes (fresh or canned - drained) *
2 TBS Fresh
Basil (chopped)
1 Glass Pie
Plate
1 Baguette
(sliced and toasted) *
Preheat oven to
400°F.
Heat 1 tsp of
olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté
for 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, stirring constantly, until the
meat is no longer red. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook on a
low simmer for 5 minutes then cool.
Drain and chop
the artichoke hearts and lay out on paper towel to dry. Drain and dice the
jarred roasted red peppers and tomatoes, lay out on paper towel to dry.
Slice the baguette into ¼”
slices and place on a cookie sheet. Place the slices in 1 layer on a baking
sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil and
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake the toasts for 15 to 20 minutes or until
they are crisp and
browned. Place the toasted baguette slices in a basket. Do not place them on a
plate or they will get soggy.
Time to assemble. Add a layer of each of the following
ingredients to a glass pie plate in the following order:
1. Marinara
(over bottom of pie plate)
2. Ground Beef
3. Grated parmesan
3. Grated parmesan
4. Chopped artichoke
hearts
5. Shredded
Fontina cheese
6. Sliced
olives
7. Diced
roasted red peppers
8. Shredded
mozzarella
9. Diced
Tomatoes
10. Chopped
basil
11. 2 tsp
olive oil
Place the dish
into a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
* Pronto Substitutes
Ground Meat – You can use either beef or pork. I prefer pork
because it has a more subtle flavor.
Olives – you can use either black olives or kalamata olives.
Tomatoes – Unless you can go to the farmers market or grow your
own, canned diced tomatoes are best for this recipe.
Baguette – you can use any dipping utensil you like. My wife
likes the corn scoops or crackers.
Pork vs Beef
Why should you choose between pork and beef?
When making meatballs I use both but at other times you may want the intensity
of beef in a meat sauce. Other times you may want a less pronounced flavor when
you want the meat to blend as opposed to standing out.
To print this recipe, go to Seven
Layer Antipasto Dip.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave feedback, comments, and questions on my recipes so that I can tune them for everyone’s kitchen.