Country Platter: Dinner #4 -- Spinach & Artichoke French Bread Pizza

 

Long name, amazing meal. 

That should be the subtitle of this post!

This is probably the most shocking meal of my list. I say so because it's the one that, when I tell people about it, solicits the response, "And D eats that?!"

Yep. D eats it, alright. And he loves it! 

I came across this recipe originally in a magazine. Rachael  Ray's magazine baby!! 

You can view the original recipe online here.

Now onto business... 

What You'll Need:

1 loaf french bread, cut in half long ways (think Elementary School... hotdog style!) 

2 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt and pepper 

3 tablespoons flour 

1 1/2 cups milk 

1 pinch nutmeg 

(2) 10 ounce boxes  frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or 1 can spinach, drained)

(1) 9 ounce box  frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (or 1 can artichoke hearts, drained)

1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (if I'm not feeling fancy, I just use shredded parmesan)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F . Put the bread on a baking sheet, soft side up. 

In a medium skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil, over medium heat. 

Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. 

Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and season with the nutmeg. 

Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

Pull the spinach apart, then add to the sauce. 

Fold in the artichokes and cook until heated through. 

Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano, season with salt and remove from the heat. 

Spread the spinach and artichoke mixture on the bread and top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. 

NOTE: You'll notice in my pictures the presence of another glorious food, namely, bacon. Sometimes I get a wild hair and spinach/artichoke pizza just isn't good enough. So I add things like bacon. D never complains. This is your right as a cook, and it is what will make you a good one. Reading recipes is fine and dandy, but someday you will be comfortable enough in the kitchen to add your own flare to dishes. That's when you REALLY begin to enjoy cooking!! 

 

GROCERY LIST:

french bread

butter

olive oil

onion

garlic

salt

pepper 

flour 

milk 

nutmeg 

frozen or canned spinach

frozen or canned artichoke hearts

parmigiano-reggiano cheese (or just shredded parmesan)

mozzarella

Pin It