As I was getting my blog started up, I wanted to solicit feedback on how to improve upon it, and generate ideas for more blog entries. I was so glad my sister took the time to provide me with her honest opinion, and some ideas for future posts. (You can always rely on my sister to tell you the truth, not sugar coat anything, but always be polite with her honesty…everyone should have a girlfriend like this, and I’m doubly lucky to have her as my sister!)
Whole baby artichokes, ready to be trimmed. You will discard all of those tough exterior leaves prior to cooking them.
My sister asked me to blog about the most amazing ribs she’s ever had (a recipe I developed with her in mind when she was on a naturopathic diet), along with a recipe for roasted pork hocks (one of the best family meals I’ve ever made), and, oh, could I also develop a recipe for artichokes too? Well, don’t I love a challenge in the kitchen! The artichoke is that odd vegetable at the supermarket that you either love or hate, or have no clue what to do with it. I’ve been eating them since I was a small child (my mom was a progressive, forward thinking, trail blazing fearless cook, always, and still is), but to be truthful, had mom not initiated us to this vegetable, I’m not sure I would have (readily) tried it. My husband, however, could do without it. Or, as he politely noted at the supper table in true Meat and Tater Man fashion, “I wouldn’t jump over a Buick to get at these.”
Once you’ve pulled off the exterior leaves, cut the top third off, then slice halfway down the middle to reveal the core, which you will then remove with a small knife.
You see, it’s a bit of work to prepare, and it’s a bit tricky to eat, to put it politely, and it’s not something you’d prepare on a date night. The only way to get at an artichoke is to pull off its leaves (once cooked) one by one, stick them between your teeth, and pull that flesh off each leaf. But first, you dip the leaf in hot melted butter. I’m not sure you could convince young children to eat these green monstrosities, but my mom (luckily) secretly raised three little butter lovers, so the melted butter bowl brought huge appeal to this otherwise unusual green vegetable. Actually, I have to confess that once you get into it, it’s finger licking good. Messy as all get out, because you get butter drippings all over your fingers, and leafy remains all over your plate, but it’s oh so good once you get the hang of it. The artichoke reminds me a lot of asparagus, in that it totally changes the flavour of water when you drink it alongside your meal. I can’t explain it, but eating asparagus or artichokes makes your drinking water taste like the finest spring water that’s just barely gushing from a babbling brook nestled in the Alps. Amazing. Artichokes also have the bonus of making your white wine taste awfully good too. A completely unscientific observation, I know, but a true one nonetheless. I know you want to try it now. Just to see if I’m telling the truth. Right?
Here are the prepared artichokes, waiting for their gulp of wine before being roasted in the oven.
Now back to our recipe. All my life, my mom would steam the artichokes whole, then serve them to us alongside our own little bowl of melted butter for dipping. (Did I mention that’s the best part?) Hers was a classic that stood the test of time, but respectful of my sister’s wishes to drum up a new recipe, I wanted to develop another approach to cooking these babies. Luckily, I just got Deborah Madison’s seminal text on vegetables, the highly praised The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (I got the newly revised edition that was published in March 2014), and it is truly a kitchen bible and cook’s companion on the preparation of vegetarian and (by default) some vegan dishes. While I’m definitely a meat eater, I do rely on vegetables for nearly every meal (I couldn’t live without them), and so I’m always seeking new ways to prepare vegetables that are on my table week in and week out. Deborah suggested roasting artichokes, and I thought it a lovely idea. I used baby artichokes (they’re easier to cut through and prepare, in my mind), and was delighted with the results. I only hope my sister thinks so too…
Roasted and lovely little artichoke halves, waiting to be dipped in the little tubs of warm melted garlic butter. I love dipping things in melted butter.
While it takes a bit of time to prepare, these baby artichokes are a delight to eat. I like to serve these as a first course, because it's difficult to concentrate on anything else while you're digging into these. They're also messy finger food, and feel like the "barbecue ribs" of the vegetable world. You just have to roll up your sleeves and dig in!
Adapted from Deborah Madison's The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 8 to 10 baby artichokes
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 1/4 cup white wine (you can substitute water)
- Salt and pepper
- 4 oz (1 stick) butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the bottom of a large baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare the artichokes. First, remove the outer layer of leaves at the base of each artichoke, and the larger, tougher deep green leaves from each artichoke by pulling them off. Cut off the top third of each artichoke, and then slice each one in half vertically, from top to stem bottom. Take a small paring knife and cut out the centre of each artichoke (some baby artichokes won't have a prickly "choke" to remove, but some will.) Remove any prickly inner leaves from the centre of each artichoke. Rub each cut surface of the artichoke with the cut half of a lemon, and place each artichoke half in the baking dish.
- Squeeze any remaining lemon juice from the cut lemon halves all over the artichokes, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add the wine to the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish first with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper, and then cover it with a layer of aluminum foil. (You have to use wax or parchment first, because if artichokes come into contact with aluminum, they will turn from green to grey.)
- Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, then remove the wax paper and foil, and continue to roast for another 25 minutes in the oven.
- In the meantime, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and garlic slowly and gently. Once melted remove the pan from the heat and set aside. When ready to serve, you can pour the melted butter into small individual serving bowls for each of your guests to dip (or double dip) as they wish.
- Remove from the oven, and serve with melted butter and plenty of napkins! Invite your guests to tear off each artichoke leaf and dip it into the butter, then put the leaf in between their teeth and pull off the flesh. Once they get to the centre of the artichoke, the smaller yellow leaves can be eaten whole, and so can the heart of the artichoke (the best part!)
Will be making these on the weekend. Will be different from my traditional steaming method and I’m sure a lot tastier!! I now serve my artichokes with lemon butter as garlic sometimes doesn’t agree with me.
Thanks for reinventing the artichoke!!
These were really good! A bit different from the traditional steaming method, but equally tasty. Good idea on the lemon butter, as many people sometimes have issues with garlic.