Making the most of Artichokes
Artichokes are a thing of beauty. When everyone else is thinking of asparagus, we're thinking of artichokes. They both namely in season at the same time.
Classically served boiled or steamed with melted butter or a vinaigrette, this most luxurious of vegetables always evokes a sense of celebration.
We particularly like the baby violet artichokes. We trim the stalks and remove the hard outer leaves, cleaning it up to be left with the beautiful heart. Keep them in a bowl of lemon water to stop them discolouring. Then halve them, remove the choke (the hairy middle bit) and you're ready to go.
We take a clove or 2 of garlic, still in the skin. Place in a pan with a good glug of white wine and boil to reduce by half. Then add a good amount of olive oil, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and top up with some water. Add the artichokes, cover with a piece of greaseproof paper and simmer gently until tender, around 15 minutes but this depends on the size of your artichokes. Allow them to cool in the liquid. Delicious served as a vegetable accompaniment or on crostini.
Artichokes Barigoule
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
12 small violet artichokes
1 lemon
100 ml olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
3 pieces of orange peel
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
200 ml white wine
small bunch of basil leaves, picked and torn
100 ml chicken or vegetable stock stock
selection of fresh herbs: chervil, fennel, basil
salt and pepper
Method
With a small knife, trim the hard leaves off the artichokes, remove the centre hairs and rub the artichokes with lemon juice.
Heat the oil in a deep casserole and fry the onions and the carrot until soft but not coloured. Stir in the tomatoes, orange peel, herbs and spices. Add the artichokes.
Pour in the wine and add enough water to cover the artichokes halfway, sprinkle over the torn basil and cover the pan with a lid. Cook slowly until tender, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes.
Remove the artichokes from the pan, reduce the cooking juices and add a little chicken or vegetable stock to intensify the flavour. Season with salt and pepper and finish off with fresh herbs.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Fried Artichokes
Ingredients
4 artichokes
sunflower oil for deep fat for frying
5 salted anchovies
200 ml olive oil
freshly ground black pepper and salt
Method
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot or if you have a deep fat fryer, use that till the oil has reached 180° C.
Trim the hard outer leaves away from the artichoke and shave off the tough layer of the stalk. Fry the whole artichokes for about 10-15 minutes. Once golden brown and tender, remove from the oil and drain. Cut the artichokes in half, remove the hay from the centre and then press them between two plates.
Heat the olive oil in a small pot over a low heat. Fillet the anchovies, if necessary and rinse well under cold water to remove any excess salt.
When the the olive oil is warm add the anchovies and soften using the back of a fork until the anchovies break up, season well with salt and pepper.
Before serving, quickly refry the artichokes in the deep fat to reheat. Drain the artichokes on kitchen paper, season with salt and pepper and serve the anchovy sauce separately.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours