SPINACH ARTICHOKE BREAD BOWL

"Versions of this warm dip have become standard bar food around the country. And, to me, tailgating is like being at an outdoor bar. Here’s some bar food for the party – served in a bread bowl. All the prep is done at home, then you just reheat the dip onsite."

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream, about 1 cup
1 jar (6 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 small round or oblong loaves pumpernickel or sourdough bread (about 1 pound each)

BEFORE YOU GO:
Warm oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onion and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in remaining ingredients, except bread. Cook until heated through. Cover and chill in refrigerator or cooler up to 2 days.

The morning of the tailgate, cut one loaf of bread into 1-inch cubes and put in zipper-lock bag. Make a bread bowl with other loaf: Cut out top of loaf as if making a jack-o’-lantern out of a pumpkin. Remove bread from inside, leaving 1-inch shell of crust. Cut removed bread into 1-inch cubes, add to zipper-lock bag, and seal. Seal bread bowl in another zipper-lock bag.

WHEN YOU GET THERE:
Reheat dip over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until hot, 5 to 8 minutes. Scrape dip into bread bowl and serve with bread cubes.

NEIGHBORLY TIPS:
Keep the dip warm a little longer by heating the bread bowl. Wrap bread bowl in heavy-duty foil and put on a medium-low covered grill until warm and just crisp on the crust, about 5 minutes per side. Unwrap and fill with the warm dip.

If you’re watching calories, use low-fat mayo and sour cream. But, remember, fat is a tailgater’s friend. It helps to keep you warm on those chilly December days.

Makes 12 servings
Excerpted from The Tailgater's Cookbook by David Joachim
Copyright © 2005 by David Joachim. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.