I had never cooked with artichokes this small before. I had consumed many a young artichoke in restaurants, but I still wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. The results were quite good, but could definitely use some improvement. The artichokes were first cleaned up, blanched in boiling water and drained. Then in a saute pan, I heated up some olive oil, sauteed a clove or two of garlic sliced very thinly, then the artichokes for a couple of minutes, added salt and pepper then transferred them to a serving dish. Large shavings of parmesan cheese were added on top. Serve warm or at room temperature with some slices of french/italian bread. Yum. I found the artichokes a little watery either due to insufficient draining, or perhaps they didn’t need to be blanched at all.
To clean, get a small sharp knife and ready a bowl of cool water with the juice of say half a lemon squeezed into the water. The acidulated water will help prevent the artichokes from turning brown. Then simply cut off the stem and remove the tough outer leaves…
…until you get to the younger and more tender leaves inside. Throw them into a pot of boiling water for a minute or two and drain. Proceed with the recipe as described up top. Next time I might skip the blanching step and just fry them straight away… :)
13 Responses
Used to get these in my CSA boxes. These don’t need blanching. Next time don’t throw away the stems! Peel and cook them, they are tender and tasty.
I like to roast small artichokes. Or make them into a gratin with butter, garlic, gruyere cheese. Yum!
kurzhaar, yes, will definitely include some of the stem the next time I cook these, and will skip the blanching. Thanks.
Try poaching them first (with some spices-coriander seeds,peppercorns,salt,bay leaves, garlic, onion) some white wine and some lemon juice (35-40 mins) then drain pan grill with lemon juice and sliced lemons till golden then roast in 500*F oven for 8-9 mins and serve with a tarragon based dipping sauce… tried it this way at Backstreet Kitchen of Cindy Pawlcyn in St Helena CA…. yummiest version I’ve ever had!
MM, are these available in Manila and where? i only get to be acquainted with this in farmville..ooppps
MM, i find that for many things that get watery after blanching/boiling (e.g., sweet potatoes, asparagus, etc.), steaming does the job without the added water.
yupyup! i second the motion, millet! I almost always steam my veggies! :)
I skip the blanching. As I clean the artichokes of outer leaves, etc., I drop them into a bowl with lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing. Drain them well, and throw them into a pan with hot olive oil and garlic, and the water that remains on the artichokes should be sufficient to cook them in, especially if you cover them briefly to steam in the resulting vapor. Also, the faint lemony taste that remains enhances the dish. One of MJA’s favorite dishes. Another tip…keep most of the stems they may come with but peel them of the tougher outher layer — this leaves you with a bit more baby artichoke to eat.
I noticed that there was no acid in the warm dressing… you could use a drizzle of fancy vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving…
Your dishes look so sumptuous, i’d love to give some of them a try :) Do you have a restaurant in manila or something?
Hi MM, i’ve read in one of ur post that u had artichoke flown to PI from Italy. May I know how it was packed to make sure that it stays fresh upon arrival? Is it advisable to freeze it before i fly them to Manila? Hope u can enlighten me as I’m planning to go to Manila on early April. Thanks as always!
Jenny, I just stuck them in luggage. The ones from Italy were brought by a friend. I also brought some in from Saigon and put them straight into my luggage in a plastic bag. I wouldn’t freeze them first…
thanks MM! but would it be ok if let’s say i plan to bring plenty of them then stock it up in freezer? i know may sound funny but yes i intend to hoard some in manila as it is not available there… or is it?
i guess not :) just googled it and says it can be kept for a week in an airtight plastic bag…