A daggy entertaining dish carried through time, the cob loaf dip has transformed from 80's party snack to legendary status in Australia.
It’s hard to say what the true origins of this dip are and where its creator took inspiration: was it the American bread bowl, the South African bunny chow or the macabrely named Taiwanese “coffin bread”? Who cares to know anyway.
The reality is, this cream cheese-based dippy wonder has no limits when it comes to filling variations. I mean, tell me something that doesn't taste good mixed through cream cheese?! Stray for a minute away bacon and spinach and toward a little fried lamb, some sumac, garlic and a tzatziki-style base dip and nobody will mind.
Heck, we even have a laksa cob loaf recipe on our website. If this has left you inspired for more filling variants perhaps consider entering the Cob Loaf Festival which happens every November in Wellington, NSW.
Being partial to a spinach and artichoke dip, as well as green olives and anything heavy on the garlic, the following recipe is my nod to a diversified cob.
Spinach, artichoke, green olive and toum cob loaf
Hot tip: If you make extra filling it tastes great as a comfort meal pasta sauce. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Wilt a small 100 g bag of baby spinach in a medium-sized pot with a little olive oil. Add a 250 g block of cream cheese and melt over medium-low heat.
Once it’s hot and a bit runny add a small jar of sliced artichoke hearts (about ½ cup), ¼ cup chopped green Sicilian olives, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and ¼ cup of toum. Mix well to combine, season with plenty of salt and pepper.
If the dip is a little thick add few splashes of water (milk or sour cream work well here too) to get it to the right consistency. Set aside.
Cut the top off and hollow out your cob loaf (you know the drill), then place the bread bowl on a baking tray with the inside pieces surrounding it.
Pour warmed dip into the cob and place the entire thing in the oven at 180*C for about 10 minutes til the bread is golden and warmed through.
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Ooh la la, that's enough to kickstart the cravings... Source: Camellia Aebischer
