The Artichoke Experiment
Artichokes are pretty plentiful right now and that is a good thing because I love them. My wish has been to have a plant of my own and this spring I almost committed to devoting a big section of garden to give it a try. But alas, the variety of everything else that I could likely grow in that space won out and artichokes will have to wait for another, more spacious, garden. And in the meantime the grocery store keeps me well stocked and I’m buying and eating them up! Steamed, braised or baked, artichokes are a happy addition to our meals.
One thing I can’t seem to find around here are the baby artichokes. Stop by a fresh market in any big city and you’ll likely find the baby artichokes sitting shoulder to shoulder with the fiddlehead ferns and the fava beans. And honestly, it wasn’t so hard to deal with their absence as I had little idea what to do with them until I stumbled onto a recipe in the May issue of Food and Wine.
It wouldn’t be completely true to tell you I journeyed across the mountains for these artichokes. But since I did make a trek to do a half marathon with my sister, it was pretty convenient to find myself some artichokes along the way. And the rest is history.
And while the prepared artichoke hearts you can purchase just about everywhere are one thing, perfect for cheesy dips and bakes, these are totally another matter. First, they taste different. And there are no tough leaves like I always run into when I get the prepared ones. They are, however, a tad time-consuming.
There is nothing difficult about them – it actually makes pleasant work for a quiet hour in the kitchen. But peeling and prepping a bag of baby artichokes down to a small dish of deliciousness is a bit of a labor of love. What this recipe has going for it is flavor. Artichoke hearts seem to sing in this preparation. And make sure to let them – don’t hide these little gems in a salad or mixed into anything else. They are a perfect little appetizer garnished just as they’ve been marinated.
Baby Artichoke Hearts with Dill and Ginger
Adapted from the Food and Wine recipe, May 2012
(Sorry, I couldn’t find the link)
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20 baby artichokes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons dill, chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Heat a medium saucepan of water and season generously with salt.
Fill a large bowl with water and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the bowl. Add the lemon half to the bowl. One at a time, cut off the base of the artichoke and remove the dark outer leaves and any dark spots. Don’t worry about wasting a few extra leaves at this point, the closer to the heart, the more tender the leaves. Cut off the top third of the artichoke to remove any thorns using a serrated knife. Rub the top and bottom of the artichoke with the lemon half and add it to the bowl. Continue with the rest of the artichokes.
Once the water in the prepared saucepan has boiled, drain the artichokes in the bowl and add them to the pot. Turn down the heat and let the artichokes simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until they are tender. Drain the artichokes from the pot and pat dry.
To prepare the marinade, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, capers, dill and ginger in a shallow serving dish. Add the artichokes and toss to coat in the mixture. Cover the dish and refrigerate. Allow the artichokes to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
