Artichoke & Mushroom Appetizer

Roughly chop mushrooms and spinach and mince garlic. Do not open cans of artichoke hearts until the mushrooms are cooking because they will discolor and turn brown if left out in the air too long. Open, drain and chop the artichoke hearts after everything else is prepped and when the mushrooms are almost done.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When oil is hot and the butter has stopped foaming, add mushrooms to the pan and cook until all liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown.

Add 4 more tablespoons of oil and butter to the pan along with the minced garlic. Sauté garlic for about a minute; do not brown the garlic. Add chopped artichoke hearts and mix together with the mushrooms. Cook together for about 5 minutes just to get the flavors to meld together. Add the last 2 tablespoons of butter and oil if mixture looks too dry. The vegetables should glisten from the oil and butter but not be dripping wet.

Remove from heat and mix in the chopped baby spinach. Pour contents of the pan into an oven proof casserole dish that can go from oven to tabletop for serving.

Mix about 1/3 of the mozzarella into the vegetables and layer the rest on top of the mixture.

Bake at 350ºF until cheese melts and browns on top, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with crackers, panetini toast or bread slices.

This is a great make-ahead appetizer. You can prepare it entirely but do not bake until the next day. Baking will require a longer time if you are baking it cold from the fridge. Great left over and heated in the microwave, too!