Raw Artichoke And Parmigiano Salad Food

RAW ARTICHOKE SALAD WITH CELERY AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Whisk oil and juice in a medium bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, break off outer leaves until only pale-green ones remain. Cut 1/2" off the top; trim dark green parts around stem and heart. Slice lengthwise very thinly and toss in dressing. Repeat with remaining artichokes. Mix in celery and remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter and top with cheese.

RAW ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Remove dark tough exterior leaves from artichokes. Trim stem end and cut off top of each artichoke. Slice artichokes as thinly as possible and place in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and garlic, if using. Season well with salt and pepper, add olive oil and toss to coat.
• Put arugula in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Spoon artichokes over greens. Garnish with a few shavings of Parmesan.

RAW BABY ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Choose only the smallest, most tender, of the young and green fresh artichokes. Once they have developed their purple choke inside they are no longer desirable for this raw salad.
• Wash the artichokes carefully. Trim the pointy ends of the leaves, cut off the top 1/4-inch and tear off and discard and blemished outer leaves.
• Slice the artichokes, paper thin, lengthwise and place in a bowl with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to combine well. Marinate the artichoke for no more than several minutes or they may blacken.
• Toss the salad greens with the basil and parsley leaves. Whisk the remaining lemon juice and olive oil together and dress the salad greens with this vinaigrette. Toss together.
• Place some salad evenly divided on several plates and divide the sliced artichokes among the plates by topping each dish with some marinated artichokes.
• Shave fresh Parmesan cheese on each dish to finish.

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH PARMIGIANO CRISPS

Steps:

• For the crisps:
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a silicone mat. Make 4 even, very thin circles of Parmigiano on the mat. Be sure that the circles are not touching. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted, turned golden brown and looks like lace. Remove the tray from the oven and let the crisps cool for about 1 minute. Using a spatula, remove the crisps from the silicone mat and reserve on a plate.
• For the salad:
• Fill your sink with cool water. Toss in all the salad greens and gently swish until all the dirt and grit falls to the bottom of the basin. Gently lift the greens out of the water and put in a salad spinner. If the greens are especially dirty empty the sink, rinse to rid of dirt and repeat the process. Spin the greens until they are dry and still very fresh looking. If not using the greens right away, store them wrapped loosely in paper towels then sealed in plastic bags in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
• In a large bowl, place the greens and herbs. Add the tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Drizzle in half of the oil and vinegar and season with salt. Using your hands, gently toss the salad to combine. Taste! Add the remaining oil and vinegar, if needed and season again with salt, if needed (you probably will). The salad should be very flavorful but not soggy.
• Arrange the salad on individual salad plates or bowls. Sprinkle each salad with the nuts and garnish with a Parmigiano crisp.

INSALATA DE CARCIOFI: RAW ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Clean the artichokes by removing all the tough outer leaves until you get to a pale yellow center. Peel the outer tough skin of the artichoke stems with a paring knife. Remove the purple leaves and hairy portion covering the choke; discard. Trim 1/3 off the tops of each artichoke, rub with lemon and finely chop. Squeeze extra lemon juice on artichokes to prevent from browning.
• Plate the artichokes and season with olive oil and extra lemon juice, if needed. Then add pepper and salt, to taste. With a vegetable peeler shave the Parmigiano cheese and top the artichokes. Lightly drizzle with more olive oil if needed.

CELERY, ARTICHOKE, AND MORTADELLA SALAD

Steps:

• Clean and prepare the artichokes as illustrated (see sidebar). Drain the artichoke slices from the water and set into a mixing bowl and toss with the juice of the remaining lemon.
• Add the celery to the mixing bowl. On the coarse holes of a box grater, grate most of the cheese into the bowl, reserving a small piece for garnish. Drizzle the ingredients in the mixing bowl with the olive oil and season with salt. Toss well.
• Now add the mortadella, and toss gently. Arrange the salad on a serving plate, grate the remaining cheese over the top, and serve.
• To clean eight baby artichokes and prevent them from oxidizing, fill a bowl with approximately one quart of cold water, and add the juice of one lemon, plus the squeezed-out lemon halves.
• Peel and trim the stem of the first artichoke. Pull off any tough outer leaves and discard. Using a paring knife, trim away any tough parts around the base and stem of the artichoke. With a serrated knife, cut off the top third of the artichoke and discard.
• If the recipe calls for sliced artichoke, halve the artichoke and slice very thin lengthwise (through the stem, either by hand or on a mandoline) or crosswise. Repeat this process with each of the remaining artichokes. As you finish with each artichoke, add it to the bowl of cold water and lemon juice, to keep it fresh.
• If you are stuffing the artichokes: Once you have cut off the top third with a serrated knife, push the leaves out to expose the fuzzy purple choke. With a small spoon, scrape out the choke to expose the heart at the bottom of the artichoke. Put the prepared artichoke in the bowl of water and lemon juice to keep it fresh.

SHAVED FENNEL, ARTICHOKE, AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• Pare the artichokes down to their hearts and scoop out the chokes with a spoon, dropping them into water acidulated with the juice of 1 of the lemons.
• Cut off the feathery tops of the fennel at the base of their stalks and remove the outer layer of the bulbs. Slice the bulbs very thin with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. Remove the artichoke hearts from the water and slice them very thin the same way.
• Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or on individual salad plates. First make a layer of the fennel slices. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the fennel and drizzle with salt and pepper. Then make a layer of the artichoke hearts, also slice very thin. Squeeze more lemon juice over them, drizzle evenly with another third of the oils, and season with salt and pepper. Cut thin shavings of the Parmesan with cheese slicer or a vegetable peeler and arrange them on top of the artichoke slices. Scatter the parsley leaves over the cheese, season with salt and pepper, squeeze more lemon juice over, and drizzle evenly with the rest of the oils. Serve immediately.