Artichoke Butter Lettuce Salad With Tarragon Vinaigrette Food

ROASTED ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the artichoke hearts in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss until the artichoke hearts are coated. Dump the artichoke hearts onto a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Place the minced shallot, lemon juice, mustard, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the basil leaves and process into a green puree. With the processor running, slowly pour 1/2 cup olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube until the ingredients are finely pureed. Set aside.
• Place the roasted artichoke hearts in a bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Add the capers, red peppers, red onion, parsley, 4 tablespoons vinegar and red pepper flakes, if using, and toss gently. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and let stand for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD WITH MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together the walnut oil, olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the salad: When ready to serve, place the lettuce and tarragon in a large bowl and toss together. Pour the vinaigrette around the edge of the bowl and toss the greens with the dressing. Garnish with the toasted hazelnuts and serve.

STEAMED ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON BUTTER

Steps:

• Pull off any brown or very tough outer leaves from one artichoke. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top 1 inch of artichoke, then rub with the cut side of the lemon. Use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the pointy tops off the remaining outer layer of leaves. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the stem down to its tender pale-colored core; immediately rub the stem with a lemon half. Use your fingers to separate the center leaves to expose the fuzzy pale choke sitting on top of the heart. Use a grapefruit spoon (or other spoon) to scoop out the choke, and rub a little lemon juice over the exposed flesh. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
• Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water, place a steamer basket inside, and bring water to a simmer. Place the artichokes bottoms down on the rack, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer over low heat until you can easily pull off an artichoke leaf, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the steamer basket and transfer to a serving platter.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Slowly whisk in butter. To serve, have everyone pull off the leaves and dunk the meaty bottoms into the lemon butter, swirling to mix butter with each dip (the butter will separate as it sits).

ARTICHOKE AND BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, shallot, and mustard and then gradually whisk in the olive oil to create an emulsion. Add the tarragon; season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lemon juice and the prepared artichoke bottoms. To keep the artichokes from bobbling to the top, weight them with a pot lid that's smaller than the boiling pot. Keep the pot uncovered and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain upside down on paper towels until cool.
• Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces. Halve each artichoke bottom and cut each half into 5 or 6 wedges. Put the artichoke wedges in a salad bowl and add 2 TBs of the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add the lettuce and the remaining dressing and toss gently. Arrange the salad on six plates and garnish with the egg wedges. Serve immediately.

SALAD WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Rinse and spin-dry lettuce, set aside.
• In large bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Add lettuce on top and place in refrigerator.
• Toss well before serving and top with croutons and/or cheese sprinkles, if desired.
• A few tips: You may want to add more or less salt, depending on how much lettuce you are using.
• You can also use 1/4 chopped onion in place of the shallots - shallots have a milder, sweeter taste that truly compliments the dressing but vidalia or purple onion would be a good substitute.
• You can also add radishes, chopped kale, and raw spinach greens to the lettuce before tossing.

ARTICHOKE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Thaw frozen artichokes and cook, if necessary, according to package directions. Chop into fine pieces.
• Using a hand mixer, beat eggs at high speed until frothy. Add the artichokes, garlic, onion, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt. Mix well.
• Pour into a lightly oiled 9 x 13 glass baking dish and cook for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown and set in the center. Allow to cool and cut into 1 ½-inch squares.