Fall is football season, and there’s nothing like a few beers and some tasty dip to enjoy while watching the game. You can’t go wrong with classic sour cream and onion dip with potato chips. Salsa and/or guacamole with tortilla chips hits the spot as well.
But if you want to raise your game-day snacks game, try an elevated beer cheese dip, such as this recipe courtesy of the Italian beer brand Peroni. Served with toasted ciabatta bread, this Lemon Artichoke Dip is an easy and elegant appetizer for football games or any fall gatherings. It naturally pairs with beer, particularly European-style lager and lends an unexpected Italian flavor to the occasion.
Not a beer fan? Try pairing the dip with a beer cocktail, such as a “Beergroni,” which incorporates pale lager into the classic Negroni.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Softened cream cheese
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 2 tbsps. Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsps. Fresh lemon juice juice of one large lemon
- 2 tbsps. Lemon zest zest of same large lemon
- 14- oz. can Artichoke hearts drained, roughly chopped and squeezed dry
- 1 ¼ cups Freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Peroni beer or other pale lager
- Salt and pepper
- ½ tsp. Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper optional
- ½ cup Roughly chopped basil leaves
- 8-10 slices Ciabatta
- 2 tsps. Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Stir together with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Add drained artichoke hearts, 1 cup of parmesan (save the additional cup for later), mozzarella, beer, salt and pepper, Aleppo pepper, and stir until well combined.
- Fold in basil.
- Transfer mixture into a shallow quart-sized, oven-safe crock.
- Sprinkle remaining cup of parmesan over the top of dip and place in the oven.
- Cook for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.
- While dip is cooking, cut ciabatta into thin slices and again in half.
- Using either a pastry brush or your fingertips, lightly coat both sides of bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake in 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted.
Notes
Ingredients
- ½ oz. Bitter Italian aperitif such as Campari
- ½ oz. Gin
- ½ oz. Sweet vermouth
- 6 oz. Peroni beer
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients in a tall beer glass.
- Fill with ice.
- Garnish with orange twist.
