Braised Baby Artichokes Food

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH RED PEPPERS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Cut 1 lemon in half. Squeeze juice into bowl of cold water; add lemon halves. Quarter second lemon. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, trim off tough outer leaves (about 3 layers). Cut off 3/4 inch of top; cut off stem. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise; rub all cut surfaces with lemon quarter to prevent discoloration. Scoop out any choke from center. Drop artichoke halves into lemon water.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add bell peppers. Sauté until peppers soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; stir 2 minutes. Drain artichokes and add to skillet. Add 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, thyme, bay leaf, and lemon peel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; bring to simmer. Cover and simmer until artichokes are tender, adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry and stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm, covered, over low heat, adding more water if dry.) Mix in parsley; season with salt and pepper.

PAN-ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Peel off and discard a few outer petals of the artichokes until you reach the pale, tender center. Trim the top and stem end, then quarter each artichoke. There should be no discernible choke, but if there is, remove it with a paring knife. Put the artichokes in a bowl of cold water to which the lemon juice has been added.
• In a wide, heavy, nonaluminum skillet, heat a 1/2 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Drain and blot the artichokes and, when the oil is nearly smoking, carefully add them to the skillet. Season well with salt and pepper, stirring to coat with oil. Let the artichokes brown slightly, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until they are tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Add the red pepper, garlic and parsley. Stir well and let sizzle for a minute or so. Transfer the artichokes to a platter, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with lemon wedges, or sprinkle sparingly with red wine vinegar. Eat hot, or at room temperature.

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Halve shallots lengthwise. Pull tough outer leaves (about 5 layers) from artichokes so they resemble tight rosebuds. Cut off top third of each artichoke and discard. Trim stem ends and halve artichokes through stems.
• In a large heavy skillet heat oil and butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté artichokes and shallots, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add broth and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, or until artichokes are almost tender. Add wine and boil, uncovered, until liquid is evaporated.
• Toss braised vegetables with parsley and season with salt and pepper.

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with water, and juice lemon into water. Reserve lemon halves. Remove tough outer leaves of artichokes. Trim pointy tops and stems, rubbing artichokes with lemon halves and then transferring them to the lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration. Cut larger baby artichokes in half lengthwise if desired.
• Drain artichokes, and transfer to a large skillet along with stock, wine, and oil. Set over medium-high heat, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until artichokes are tender and golden and liquid has completely evaporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with water. Cut 2 lemons in half and squeeze both lemon halves into the water, then drop in the halves.
• Trim the tough dark green skin from the stem of the artichoke if there is a stem, and remove the tough outer leaves until lovely gentle spring green is revealed, it should only be a couple of layers. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise and toss into the lemon (acidulated) water. Artichokes will turn brown before your eyes, so it is important to have the acidulated water set up before 1 leaf is removed from the artichoke.
• Coat a large straight-sided saute pan over medium heat, generously with olive oil and add the smashed garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. When the garlic cloves are golden brown and aromatic, remove them. They have fulfilled their garlic destiny.Add the anchovy fillets and let them melt into a saucy consistency before adding the prepared artichokes to the pan along with the lemon halves. Pour in the white wine, add the thyme bundle and season with salt, to taste. Bring to a boil and add enough water to cover the artichokes (shouldn't be much water). Cover the pan and simmer until the artichokes are very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid and let the liquid reduce until it is less than halfway up the sides of the artichokes. Remove the thyme bundle. Taste to check for seasoning and readjust, if necessary, (you probably will). Finish by tossing in the chopped parsley. Transfer the artichokes to a serving bowl and serve topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.
• Yay! What a side dish!

EASY BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Fill a medium bowl with water and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon in the bowl, tossing in the lemon halves as well. Rinse each artichoke and trim 1/2-inch off of the stalk. Trim 1-inch off the top of each artichoke.
• Cut each artichoke in half, from stalk to tip, and remove the choke with a spoon or paring knife. Remove the tough outer leaves and trim the outside of the stalk with a paring knife. Add the prepped artichokes to the bowl of lemon water to keep them from browning while they are cooking.
• Slice the remaining lemon. In a baking dish large enough to place the artichokes in 1 even layer, place the slices in the dish to form a bed for the artichokes. In the center of each artichoke, add a garlic half and drizzle with half the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on top of the lemon slices, holding the garlic clove in half as you turn them.
• Pour the chicken stock around the sides, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of stock should be in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops of the artichokes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and firmly seal with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven until fork-tender and the leaves peel off easily, about 1 hour.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim tops of artichokes just to choke.
• Slice garlic into slivers and insert 1/2 of amount amongst leaves and sprinkle rest in bottom of pot.
• Place prepared artichokes in pot just large enough to hold.
• Pour 1/4 cup each olive oil and white wine over artichokes.
• Sprinkle chopped parsley and thyme over artichokes.
• Pour chicken broth and water over chokes and top each with 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Salt and pepper top of each choke and cover pot.
• Simmer chokes until tender (approximately 30-45 minutes).
• Serve the remaining sauce in bottom of pot as dipping sauce.
• Add a little more water if necessary should the liquid evaporate too much.
• NOTES: I remove chokes after cooking.
• The artichokes are much more tasty should you put them refrigerator in braising sauce for a day-- better in two days or more.
• Also ideal to serve hollandaise made with braising sauce.
• I sometimes remove the choke before placing in fridge and use the cavity for the hollandaise.

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH FAVA BEANS AND SPRING ONIONS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add beans, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, plunge beans into ice water. Drain well. Keep water boiling, and refill bowl with ice water. Repeat with onions. Peel beans and onions.
• Fill a large bowl with water and juice of 1/2 lemon. Remove tough outer leaves of artichokes. Trim tops and stems. Cut in half lengthwise, and transfer to lemon water to prevent discoloration.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallot, and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain artichokes, and add to skillet along with onions, stock, wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cover with a piece of parchment paper, then with a lid. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until artichokes and onions are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Add fava beans, and cook, uncovered, until tender and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Swirl in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Squeeze juice from remaining 1 1/2 lemons over the top. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

BAKED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Trim off the top half-inch of each artichoke and cut the base flat. Toss the artichokes in the lemon juice.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan, add the garlic cloves and cook three minutes. Add the parsley and cook two minutes longer, then drain, reserving the liquid.
• Mix the artichokes with the olive oil in a heavy ovenproof casserole or shallow saucepan. Scatter the blanched garlic and parsley around them. Stir in three-fourths cup of the reserved liquid. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and separate the artichokes from the other ingredients. Set the artichokes aside. Remove and discard three of the garlic cloves, then puree the remaining garlic with the parsley and the bread crumbs, adding another half cup of the liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the artichokes and serve warm or at room temperature sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.