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Artichokes

To prepare an artichoke for cooking

Put parsley, garlic, bay leaves, lemons, wine, oil and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash artichoke under cold water. Cut off the stem close to the base, and pull off the lower petals that are small and tough. Cut off the top 3/4 inch of the artichoke.

Note that the stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. To eat, just cut off the very end of the stem, and peel the tough outside layer of the stem with a vegetable peeler.

If petal tips are thorny, optionally snip them off with scissors or shears. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking.

Rub the artichoke all over wIth half a lemon to preserve the green color.

Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid, bottom up. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when a knife is inserted into the base and there is no resistance.

How To Eat An Artichoke

To eat, pull off a leaf, dip the widest part in lemon juice and melted butter if desired; scrape the meat off the tender end with your front teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf.

When you reach the center cone of purple prickly leaves, remove it. This is the choke that protects the heart. Now, scrape away the inedible thistle fuzz covering the artichoke heart (the choke). The remaining heart is the meatiest part of the artichoke. Cut the heart into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.

For a sauce, try some mayonnaise with a little balsamic vinegar stirred in.

Steamed artichokes may be served hot or cold.

(Pictures above from simplyrecipes.com).

How to prepare an artichoke for stuffing

Cut off stem so artichoke can easily stand.

Cut about an inch off the top.

Using a spoon or (even better) a melon baller, hollow out the middle;including the hairy choke (make sure you remove all of this).

Stand artichoke upright and stuff with filling of your choice.

How To Buy An Artichoke

When buying artichokes, look for a vibrant color and a vegetable that is tightly closed and feels heavy for its size (an artichoke that is starting to open is not that fresh).

Artichokes with Anchovy butter

From: Waitrose
SERVES 4

4 large globe artichokes
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 lemon, juice
150g unsalted butter
8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Cut off the artichoke stalks so they stand upright. Add to a pan of boiling water with the peppercorns, bay leaves and ½ the lemon juice; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until you can pull a leaf from one of the artichokes easily (you might need to weight the artichokes with a heatproof plate to keep submerged). Drain upside down.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the anchovies for 2-3 minutes, until dissolved. Stir in the garlic and take off the heat. Season and add a little more lemon juice to taste.

Serve each artichoke with a pot of anchovy butter. Scrape the flesh from each leaf with your teeth, then discard the hairy choke and enjoy the heart.

Focaccia di Carciofi (Artichoke Focaccia)

This recipe is from Antonio's mother. Antonio lives in Pisa. Kay Hartman

For the filling
9 artichokes [I used 3 large American artichokes and the proportions seemed to work out right]
1 clove garlic [I used 2]
2 eggs
Salt
Olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
For the dough
300 grams flour [I used Italian 00 flour. next time I am going to try all-purpose unbleached flour]
0.11 liters olive oil I think it's just under 1/2 cup]
12 grams compressed yeast [I used approximately 1 3/4 teaspoons of dry yeast]
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups lukewarm milk [I used only 1]

Wash the artichokes, clean them and cut into slices. [I cut off the stem, removed all the leaves, pared the outside of the heart, and removed the choke.] Cook the artichokes in a pan with a little water, a little olive oil, salt and a sliced clove of garlic [I used 2]. When cooked, remove from the fire, add the whole eggs and the Parmesan cheese and mix well. [There was next to no water left in the pot when I was done. Just enough to moisten the artichoke slices. I let the artichokes cool before adding the eggs and cheese.] Test and adjust for salt.

Put the flour in a bowl. Add the salt and sugar and mix well. Add the olive oil and stir until the flour is well impregnated with oil. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm milk. Pour the milk and yeast into the bowl and mix well. Continue adding lukewarm milk while kneading the dough with your hands until the dough is soft, oily, and stringy, much softer than bread dough. [When I added the first cup of milk the dough was very loose. I worked the dough with my hands, leaving the dough in the bowl, breaking the flour/olive oil clumps as I worked. I didn't add any other milk.]

Grease a 20 x 30 centimeter (8 x 12 inch) bakepan [I used a 10 x 10 inch baking dish] with olive oil. Spread half of the dough on the bottom of the pan. Pour and spread the filling into the pan and cover with the remaining dough. This last operation is rather difficult and requires practice since the dough is very soft and sticky. One trick is to work with wet hands. The oily dough will not stick to them. Seal the upper and lower dough layers at the edges.

Put the prepared cake in the cold oven and switch the light on; let it rise for 2 - 3 hours [or just put the bread in a warm place to rise]. Switch the oven and and bake at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for about half an hour and in any case until golden brown.

Carciofi sott'Olio (Marinated Baby Artichokes Preserved in Oil)

These marinated artichokes are a staple in our house. The recipe comes from Patricia Wells' Trattoria. Patricia Wells marinates the artichokes with parsley. I did this once but I did not think that the parsley made the artichokes flavorful enough. I use different combinations of herbs when I make these. My favorite is fresh
oregano. Yield: 1 quart (1 liter)

2 cups (500 ml) Champagne vinegar
2 cups (500 ml) water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
8 bay leaves, preferably fresh
2 1/2 pounds (1.25 kg) small artichokes (about 25)
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
4 plump fresh garlic cloves, degermed
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, snipped with scissors

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and 4 of the bay leaves.

Prepare the artichokes: Rinse the artichokes under cold running water. Using a stainless steel knife to minimize discoloration, trim the stem of an artichoke to about 1/2 inch (1 cm) from the base. Carefully trim off and discard the stem's fibrous exterior. Bend back the tough outer green leaves one at a time, letting them
snap off naturally at the base. Continue snapping off the leaves until only the central cone of yellow leaves with pale green tips remains. Lightly trim the top of the cone of leaves to just below the green tips. Trim any dark green areas from the stem. Depending upon its size, leave whole or halve or quarter the artichoke lengthwise, and transfer immediately to the vinegar mixture to prevent discoloration. Continue until all the artichokes are trimmed.

Bring the liquid and artichokes to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer, reducing the heat if necessary, until the artichokes are tender but still offer a bit of resistance when pierced with a knife, 7 to 10 minutes. (Cooking time will vary according to the size of the artichokes.) Drain the artichokes, discarding the vinegar mixture and bay leaves.

While the artichokes are still warm, marinate them: If the artichokes will be consumed the same day, arrange them in a single layer in a shallow dish and partially cover with oil. To preserve them, arrange in layers in a sterilized 1-quart (1-l) canning jar, or several smaller sterilized jars: Layer the artichokes, garlic, parsley, and the remaining 4 bay leaves, finishing with a layer of artichokes. Completely cover the artichokes with oil. Set aside uncovered, until the artichokes are completely cool. If necessary, add additional oil to come to the top. Cover securely. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 months, making sure that the artichokes are always covered in oil. The artichokes preserved in this manner can be consumed as soon as they are cool, but will have greater depth of flavor if allowed to marinate for at least 24 hours.

Branzino coi Carciofi (Baked Sea Bass with Artichokes)

This recipe is from Patricia Wells' Trattoria. It is one of my many favorites from the book. I've made this dish successfully with New Zealand snapper and striped bass. SERVES 4 as a main course.

4 globe artichokes
1 lemon
1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 sea bass, Alaska snapper, or red snapper (about 2lb/1kg), scaled and cleaned, with head & tail, rinsed and patted dry
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the table

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C; gas mark 9).

Prepare the artichokes: Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice, and place the halved lemon and the juice in a bowl filled with cold water. Rinse the artichokes under cold running water. Using a stainless steel knife to minimize discoloration, trim the stem of an artichoke to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the base. Carefully trim off
and discard the stem's fibrous exterior. Bend back the tough outer outer leaves one at a time, and snap them off at the base. Continue snapping off the leaves until only the central cone of yellow leaves with pale green tips remains. Trim the top of the cone of leaves to just below the green tips [or you can just get rid of all of the
leaves]. Trim any dark green areas from the base. Halve the artichoke lengthwise. With a small spoon, scrape out, and discard, the hairy choke. Cut each artichoke half lenghtwise into paper-thin slices, and place immediately in the acidulated water. Repeat with the remaining 3 artichokes.

Drain the artichokes. In a large skillet, combine the artichoke slices, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the oil, and the salt, and toss to coat the artichokes with the oil. Over moderate heat, saute the artichoke slices just until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.

Season the fish generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Place it in a shallow baking dish that will hold it snugly. Stuff the cavity with the sprigs of rosemary and as many artichoke slices as will fit. Scatter the remaining artichokes, as well as the juices, around the fish. Drizzle with the lemon juice and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque through but not dry, 30 to 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. (The baking time will vary according to the size of the fish.)

Remove the fish from the oven and let sit for about 3 minutes to allow the fish to firm up enough to fillet.

To serve, fillet the fish and divide it among 4 warmed dinner plates. Arrange several spoonfuls of artichokes alongside. Pass the lemon wedges and a cruet of olive oil.

ARTICHOKES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER VELVET

See here

Grilled Baby Artichokes

Whether cooked over coals or under a broiler, tender halved baby artichokes have a delicate yet concentrated flavor and a crisp exterior. From Saveur SERVES 2

10 baby artichokes
1 lemon, halved
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire. Using a serrated-blade knife, halve artichokes lengthwise. Rub cut surfaces with half of the lemon. Transfer artichokes to a bowl and drizzle with 2 tbsp. oil. Season with salt and toss to coat. Transfer artichokes cut side down to the grill (alternatively, broil artichokes on a baking sheet placed in the middle of the oven). Cook, flipping once, until the bases of the artichokes are tender and the exterior is browned.

Using tongs, transfer artichokes to 2 plates. Drizzle artichokes with remaining oil and the juice of the remaining lemon half. Season with salt.

Discard the first layer of leaves before eating, if you like.

Roasted Artichokes (Carciofi Arrostiti)

Though traditionally cooked in embers, these artichokes are equally as succulent when oven-roasted.
From saveur.com Serves 8

1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 tbsp. dried oregano
2–3 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 globe artichokes, stemmed**
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 500. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, wine, oregano, chile flakes, garlic, and salt and pepper; set aside. Cut 1" off top of each artichoke and gently pull leaves apart to open artichokes. Place them, standing up on their bases, in a small roasting pan or dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Pour oil mixture over each artichoke, making sure it reaches in between all leaves. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake, basting often with juices, until browned and tender, about 30 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving warm with pan juices.