This is the modified recipe for the first dish I created at the Italian American Dinner pop-up class I took at the Cooking Skills Academy in Itasca on 4/10/2015 for $35 /per person (pop-up deal through e-mail). I made a lot of changes when I made this at home. The price of Gruyere is outrageous around here (about $15.00 for a tiny slice; I would rather spend my money on cooking classes instead of expensive cheeses), and I already had a lot of cheese in the fridge to use. I also substituted beer instead of wine, because I am more of a beer person than a wine person. My modified recipe is intended for two very hungry adults.
The original recipe calls for 1⁄4 cup Gruyere cheese, 1⁄4 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, 1 tsp flour, 1 tbls white cooking wine, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1⁄2 cup chopped baby spinach, 1⁄4 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.
Supplies:
Large mixing bowl
Chef’s knife
Bread knife
Cutting board
Wooden or nylon spoon
Toaster oven
Two 5×5 inch ceramic bakers (You can also use ceramic ramekins)
Ingredients:
1 small Italian bread loaf, sliced into 1-inch pieces
8.5 ounce can artichoke hearts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Mexican cheese mix
1/2 cup parmesan/romano cheese mix
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 cups spinach
2 tablespoons beer (I used a plain German pilsner – what I was drinking at the time)
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Chop spinach, mince cloves of garlic, chop artichoke hearts, and place all into the mixing bowl.
2. Add in all of the cheeses except for the mozzarella, a few pinches of salt, and about two tablespoons of beer to the mixing bowl.
3. Mix everything together very well, then spoon out into the ceramic bakers.
4. Top the mixture with mozzarella cheese, then place the bakers into the toaster oven for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.
5. When the cheese is finished baking, slice the bread and toast the slices for a few minutes.
6. Serve the artichoke and spinach al forno on top of toasted bread immediately.
North Shore Kitchen 