Warm vegan spinach & artichoke dip

Dips and dressings Veganisable

Serves 6

Prep 30 min

Cook 40 min

Serve this dip with lots of fresh crudites – fennel, radicchio and radishes are particular favourites – and tortilla chips; it also works really well as a creamed spinach-style side to eat with roast vegetables such as wedges of butternut squash or celeriac.

Ingredients

90ml	olive oil
1	large onion, peeled, cut in half and finely sliced (220g net weight)
3	red chillies, 2 finely sliced on an angle, the other deseeded and finely chopped
25g	coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
1	artichokes in olive oil (285g jar), drained (190g net) and oil reserved
350g	frozen leaf spinach, defrosted, well squeezed and roughly chopped (or enough fresh spinach to wilt down to 350g, roughly chopped)
3 tbsp	capers, drained and roughly chopped, brine reserved
4	spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (85g net)
3 tbsp	lemon juice
	salt and black pepper
600g	silken tofu, drained
4	garlic cloves, peeled, three left whole, the fourth crushed
2 tbsp	white miso paste
2 tsp	cornflour
60g	panko breadcrumbs

Method

Put 90ml oil in a large, shallow, ovenproof saute pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 18-20 minutes, until soft and caramelised. Add the chopped chilli and coriander stalks, cook for a minute, then add 115g drained artichokes, all the spinach, two tablespoons of capers, three of the spring onions, all but a tablespoon of the coriander leaves, a tablespoon of the lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir to combine, take off the heat and set aside.
Put the sliced chillies in a small bowl with the remaining two tablespoons of lemon juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then set aside to pickle. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9.
Put the tofu in a food processor with the three whole garlic cloves, miso, cornflour and remaining 75g artichokes, add two tablespoons of caper brine and a tablespoon of reserved artichoke oil, and blitz for a minute, until completely smooth. Pour into the onion pan and stir well. Smooth out the top, then clean the exposed sides of the pan with a piece of kitchen paper.
In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of olive oil, the crushed garlic and the last tablespoon of capers, then sprinkle evenly all over the top of the spinach mix. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle over the remaining tablespoon of coriander, spring onions and pickled chillies, and serve at once, or set aside and leave to cool to room temperature first.