Artichoke Relish With Sun Dried Tomatoes And Olives Food

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE RELISH

Steps:

• You will need 2 large stainless steel pots or very large plastic bowls to soak the vegetables. They must be large enough to hold one gallon of water each, plus 6 pounds of vegetables (chopped) each. DO NOT use aluminum; the vinegar will react with it.
• First you have to clean the artichokes. They are pretty knobby, and they collect a lot of dirt and grit. Put the artichokes in a large pot and cover with water. Scrub each artichoke thoroughly with a stiff vegetable brush, and run it under some water. If grit seems to be trapped between the artichoke and its "fingers", you may have to pop them off to get the grit out.
• Make a brine out of ONE of the cups of salt, one gallon of water, and the 4 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir well to make sure all the salt is dissolved.
• Prepare the artichokes: do not peel the artichokes - the peel is edible and you will lose a lot of vitamins, plus these things are really knobby and if you try to peel 6 pounds of them I assure you you will lose your enthusiasm for making this relish.
• Chopping: you have two choices here. I prefer to cut the artichokes into quarter inch dice by hand. Other folks use a food processor. The reason I don't use a food processor is because Jerusalem artichokes have a unique consistency, and they don't chop well in the food processor. Some of them get pulverized, while large chunks remain unchopped. So, if you like, use a food processor, but just make sure you don't end up with mush. You want a lot of very small chunks; it should look about the consistency of relish. As you cut the artichokes, place them in the brine.
• Make a second batch of brine with the remaining cup of salt and one gallon water, stirring well to make sure all the salt dissolves.
• In a food processor, chop the cabbage, onions, and bell peppers until they are cut fine. Make sure to keep an eye on what you are doing so you don't get mush. You want the vegetables to be the consistency of a relish.
• Once they are chopped, place the vegetables in the second batch of brine you made, and stir well.
• Cover both bowls of brined vegetables, and leave on the counter overnight or for 8 hours. Don't let them sit in the brine for longer than 10 hours or the vegetables may become too salty.
• Line a counter with lots of paper towels - I usually use 5 layers. You are going to be placing the drained vegetables on these paper towels, so make sure you cover a fairly large space; at least 2 1/2 feet by 1 1/2 feet.
• Drain the Jerusalem artichokes and rinse with cold water. Drain well and place on half of the paper towels.
• Drain the cabbage/onion/pepper mixture and rinse with cold water. Drain well, and then with your hands, which you have just washed in hot water with soap, squeeze the remaining moisture out of the vegetables. You will see that a lot of water still comes out. Place the drained and squeezed vegetables on the other half of the paper towels.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the French's mustard and the flour. Set aside.
• In a very large stockpot (at least 10 quarts), combine the apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, yellow mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, cayenne pepper, ground allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper.
• Bring to a boil, stirring well, and then reduce to a simmer.
• Dip out about 2 cups of the vinegar mixture and add it to the mustard/flour mixture in the bowl, whisking well to combine - make sure you whisk it until there are no more lumps.
• Add the mustard/flour mixture back to the vinegar mixture in the stockpot, whisking well to combine. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
• Add the drained artichokes and the cabbage/onion/pepper mixture, and stir very well, making sure all is combined and mixed well with the vinegar/mustard mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Place in canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Use a chopstick or other thin, non-metal utensil to run around the sides of the jar to make sure there are no air bubbles left in the jar. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any relish which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 15 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.
• Artichoke relish should sit for at least a month before you use it, so the flavors can combine and improve.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES, OLIVES, AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Return pasta to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in artichokes and cook until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add olives and half of the tomatoes; cook until tomatoes start to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pasta to skillet. Stir in remaining tomatoes, oil, cheese, and basil. Thin with reserved pasta water if necessary to coat the spaghetti. Serve with additional cheese.

ARTICHOKE-CITRUS RELISH

Steps:

• Remove half the zest from lemon and orange in long strips. Dice small and add to a small saucepan with onion and oil. Bring to a simmer over medium-low and cook until onion is softened, 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut away peel and pith from citrus and discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut out segments, then squeeze juice from membranes. Halve orange segments. Let onion mixture cool to room temperature, then add to bowl. Toss with artichokes and season with salt and pepper. To store, refrigerate, up to 1 week.

ARTICHOKE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Enjoy.

CARRIE'S ARTICHOKE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring it to a rolling boil.
• While the water is heating, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, wine, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by a third, about 4 minutes.
• Cook the fresh pasta in boiling water until done, about 2 minutes. Drain.
• Toss pasta with sauce. Top with fresh tomatoes and cheese, add pepper to taste, and serve.

ARTICHOKE RELISH WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook artichoke hearts according to package directions. Cut in half lengthwise.
• Drain tomatoes and cut into strips.
• Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve at once or refrigerate. Tastes best at room temperature.

PASTA WITH SPINACH, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES & ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Steps:

• Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 30 minutes.
• Drain, and slice into thin strips.
• At the same time, take the spinach from the freezer and allow to semi-defrost in a colander.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Saute onion and garlic in oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add mushrooms, soy sauce, and pepper and saute for another 3 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and pine nuts.
• Mix well.
• Add spinach, mixing well until everything is combined and heating through.
• Add vegetable mixture to drained pasta.
• Add feta, and mix well.
• Serve!

CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir chicken broth, artichoke hearts with juice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salt, oregano, basil, and black pepper into chicken mixture; cover skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 more minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to a platter; spoon chicken mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

ARTICHOKE SUN-DRIED TOMATO PIZZA

Steps:

• Mix water with yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl, set aside for 5 minutes to let it bloom.
• Add the garlic, oil, salt and herbs.
• Add about 1 1/2-2 cups flour, mix well.
• Pour onto a floured board, add remaining flour as needed, knead for about 5 minutes (this dough is really soft).
• Cover with the mixing bowl.
• Let rise about 20-30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down, knead on lightly floured board, set aside.
• Coat your pizza pan with olive oil.
• Place the dough in pan, roll out in pan.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spoon and spread the dough with the sauce.
• Sprinkle with the herbs and seasonings.
• Decorate with the artichokes, olives, onions, black olives,.
• and sundried tomatoes.
• Sprinkle with the cheese.
• Cook until bottom in golden, spray crust with the cooking spray, broil for about 1 minute to melt cheese and make it bubbly.
• Let stand 2 minutes, cut and enjoy.
• FYI, you can also make this pizza with some chopped, drained and defrosted spinach instead of the artichoke hearts and it is just as fantabulous.