Vegetables
Roasted Artichokes
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Loading ...Courtesy of Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
6 medium (or 4 large) artichokes
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Make the artichokes: Select a nonreactive bowl large enough to hold all the artichokes once they are trimmed, and pour the lemon juice into it. Working with one artichoke at a time, bend the tough outer leaves backward until they break at the point where the tough leaf becomes part of the tender base; stop when you reach the more tender interior leaves that are at least half yellow-green. With a serrated knife, cut across the leaves at the point where the color changes from yellow-green to dark green. Trim the stem of its outer layer, then trim the base, removing any dark green bits. Halve the artichokes lengthwise and scoop out the hairy choke. As the artichokes are trimmed, drop them into the bowl holding the lemon juice and turn to coat. Toss occasionally to keep them coated with lemon.
When all the artichokes are trimmed, transfer them and the lemon juice to a large skillet and add the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to
a boil over moderate heat, tossing to coat the artichokes with the seasonings, then transfer to the oven and cook until the artichokes are browned in spots and tender when pierced, about 35 minutes. Let cool, then cut each half into quarters or thirds lengthwise.
Cook’s notes:
- I like to add water to the the lemon juice because lemon on its own can be overpowering in the final flavor combination. Once the raw artichokes have been prepared, I discard the lemon water and simply add the juice of half a lemon to the stovetop pan with the other ingredients.
- I cut the artichoke into bite-size slices before cooking, rather than leave them halved; this also cuts down on the cooking time. In fact, I can often just cook them, covered, on the stovetop in about 15 minutes without having to transfer
them to the oven. - If using baby artichokes, you can simply cook them in a pan on the stove, covered, for 10-15 minutes until tender.
- Sometimes I’ll add a little chicken broth to give a broader depth of flavor (and more braising liquid).
April 1st, 2011 on 3:10 pm
okay…for those of us who are… well… lazy…
can I make this delectable-sounding recipe w…. frozen artichoke hearts?
no
no
I already know: no.
sigh…
April 1st, 2011 on 3:15 pm
Kind of defeats the purpose of cooking them since frozen artichokes are cooked and just need to be defrosted. But you could certainly marinate the defrosted artichokes in good olive oil, garlic, and herbs, and use a few days later.