Whip artichokes and feta cheese together into a fluffy spread that stuffs easily into cut baguettes and bakes up into an elegant appetizer or side dish. Pull apart the slices to savor the creamy spread on toasty bread.
2 (8 oz.) baguettes, choose softer ones
Cooking spray or olive oil
1 can (14 oz.) Del Monte® Whole Artichoke Hearts, well-drained and quartered
8 oz. feta cheese
1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut baguettes in half crosswise. Place a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon alongside the bread and cut slices 1/2-inch apart with a serrated knife, slicing down and stopping when your knife hits the chopstick so the bread stays together at the bottom.
Coat 2 sheets of aluminum foil a few inches longer than the bread with cooking spray or olive oil. Place 2 baguette halves side-by-side on each sheet of foil.
Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through, until a coarse paste forms with pieces of artichoke no larger than a peppercorn, about 30 (1-second) pulses total. Stuff about 1 Tbsp. of the artichoke mixture between each bread slice, as far down as it will go.
Bring up the sides of the foil to cover the bread as best you can (it's okay if some of it isn't covered). Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Open the foil to expose the top of the bread and continue baking until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. To serve, cut into smaller sections of 3 or 4 slices and garnish with more basil.