Roasted Baby Artichokes With A Lemon Herb Beurre Blanc Food

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.

ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Prepare artichokes. Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichokes and trim the stems. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer green layer from the stem. Cut off the top third of the head to remove the tough ends of the leaves, then split it down the middle. Rub with lemon as you work so they don't turn brown.
• Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Lay the artichoke halves cut-side up in a roasting dish and drizzle with the olive oil mixture. Roast in the oven until the artichokes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• To serve, top with the cheese and garnish with the parsley.

GRILLED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH MIXED HERBS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• For the artichokes: Fill a large pot with cold water. Squeeze the lemons into the water, and then drop them into the pot. Add the olive oil and salt. Add the artichokes and cook until a paring knife inserted into the center meets with a little resistance, about 15 minutes. Drain and shock in cold water for 30 seconds. Drain again and transfer to a sheet lined with paper towels to dry.
• While the artichokes are cooking, make the vinaigrette: Whisk the mustard, honey, lemon zest and juice and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high. Halve the artichokes, brush with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette, herbs and red pepper flakes.
• Serve with grilled Italian bread.

PAN ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Peel off and discard the tough outer petals of the artichokes; trim top and stem end and quarter (there should be no choke in the center, if there is remove it).
• Place artichokes in a bowl, drizzle with lemon juice, and cover with water.
• Use a wide, heavy, non-aluminum skillet, and heat 1/2 inch of olive oil over medium heat.
• Drain and blot the artichokes and add to skillet when oil is nearly smoking; season with salt and pepper, stirring to coat with oil.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until they just start to brown a little and are fork tender, about 5 to 7 minutes; stir in red pepper, garlic, and parsley and let cook a minute or two.
• Transfer to a platter, season with coarse salt and serve with lemon wedges, or drizzle with a tiny amount of red wine vinegar.
• Eat hot or room temperature.

ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES WITH A LEMON HERB BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Artichokes -- In a large bowl add the artichokes (thawed) and add the olive oil, lemon pepper and salt and toss well to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes until they are warmed through and starting to get brown. Remove to a serving platter.
• Sauce -- In a small sauce pan, add the white wine, vinegar and the shallots and heat to medium to medium-high until the sauce is reduced by half. It doesn't take long 3-4 minutes is all. Add the cream and cook another 1-2 minutes -- Don't boil. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the butter until creamy and melted. Then add in the lemon and fresh herbs.
• Serve -- Drizzle the sauce over the roasted artichokes. If you have any sauce left, serve a small sauce container on the serving platter for people to help themselves.
• Remember all "veggies" are good with this. Asparagus, cauliflower, beans, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.
• ENJOY!

THE MOST AMAZING ROASTED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Use a knife to slice off the bottom 1/2-inch (or more, if you'd like) of the artichoke stems, and the top 1 inch of the artichoke globes (the leaves on top). Remove and discard any small leaves toward the bottoms of the stems. Rinse the artichokes with water.
• Slice the artichokes in half vertically. Use a spoon to scoop out the fuzzy "choke" in the middle of the artichoke. Then use kitchen shears to trim about 1/4/-inch off the pointy tips of each of the artichoke leaves (so that they don't poke you when you eat them). Rub a lemon wedge all over the entire surface of each artichoke half, to prevent browning.
• Place the artichoke halves in a baking dish or on a baking sheet cut-side-up. Brush the cut sides of the artichokes evenly with the olive oil. Then fill the cavities evenly with the garlic, followed by a few small sprigs of the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
• Flip the artichokes over, using the herbs to help hold in the garlic, so that they are cut-side-down. Brush the tops of the artichokes with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Then remove and cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and the leaves pull off easily.
• Place the tray on a cooling rack. Carefully remove, discard the herbs (or stir them into your dipping sauce for extra flavor), and drizzle the artichokes with extra lemon juice.
• Serve the roasted artichokes warm with your desired dipping sauce.

ROASTED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the bottom of a large baking dish and set aside.
• Prepare the artichokes. First, remove the outer layer of leaves at the base of each artichoke, and the larger, tougher deep green leaves from each artichoke by pulling them off. Cut off the top third of each artichoke, and then slice each one in half vertically, from top to stem bottom. Take a small paring knife and cut out the centre of each artichoke (some baby artichokes won't have a prickly "choke" to remove, but some will.) Remove any prickly inner leaves from the centre of each artichoke. Rub each cut surface of the artichoke with the cut half of a lemon, and place each artichoke half in the baking dish.
• Squeeze any remaining lemon juice from the cut lemon halves all over the artichokes, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Add the wine to the baking dish.
• Cover the baking dish first with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper, and then cover it with a layer of aluminum foil. (You have to use wax or parchment first, because if artichokes come into contact with aluminum, they will turn from green to grey.)
• Roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, then remove the wax paper and foil, and continue to roast for another 25 minutes in the oven.
• In the meantime, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and garlic slowly and gently. Once melted remove the pan from the heat and set aside. When ready to serve, you can pour the melted butter into small individual serving bowls for each of your guests to dip (or double dip) as they wish.
• Remove from the oven, and serve with melted butter and plenty of napkins! Invite your guests to tear off each artichoke leaf and dip it into the butter, then put the leaf in between their teeth and pull off the flesh. Once they get to the centre of the artichoke, the smaller yellow leaves can be eaten whole, and so can the heart of the artichoke (the best part!)

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Season with freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes, if using.
• Serve with steamed artichokes for dipping or toss with pasta. See the blog post above for additional serving suggestions.