Roasted Snapper With Artichokes And Lemon Food

CRISP RED SNAPPER WITH RAGOUT OF POTATOES, ONIONS, ARTICHOKES, AND GREEN OLIVES WITH SAUCE VIERGE

Steps:

• For the Fish: Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, but not smoking, place fish in pan skin side down, gently pressing on the fish so it does not curl up. From this point turn down the heat to medium and do not touch the fish. The skin will become crispy and release itself from the pan. Cook for 4 minutes on the skin side, and turn the fish over, cooking for 2 more minutes or just until done. Keep warm.
• For the Ragout: In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and onions, sauteing them until warmed through and a little color has appeared on the potatoes. Add the artichokes and olives and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. Drizzle remaining1 tablespoon of olive oil into the ragout before plating. Serve warm.
• Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from half of the lemon into a bowl, removing any seeds that may fall into the bowl. Slice the other half of the lemon into thin slices, and place them in the bowl. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and parsley to the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine.
• Spoon the ragout evenly into 4 warm bowls, or deep plates. Top the ragout with the fish, skin side up. Drizzle the sauce on top of the fish and serve immediately.

ROASTED ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON AIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Using a sharp knife, cut 1 in. from top of each artichoke. Using kitchen scissors, cut off tips of outer leaves. Cut each artichoke lengthwise in half. With a spoon, carefully scrape and remove fuzzy center of artichokes. , Drizzle oil into a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Rub cut surfaces of artichokes with lemon half; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in pan, cut side down. Squeeze lemon juice over artichokes. Cover pan with foil; bake on a lower oven rack until tender and a leaf near the center pulls out easily, 50-55 minutes., Meanwhile, mix aioli ingredients; refrigerate until serving. Serve with artichokes.

ARTICHOKE & LEMON PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a 6-qt. stockpot three-fourths full with water; add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, 1-2 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., In same pot of water, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add artichoke hearts; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add to pasta., Add asparagus, goat cheese, parsley, lemon peel, lemon juice and the remaining salt and oil; toss to combine, adding enough reserved pasta water to coat. Heat through. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

WHOLE ROASTED SNAPPER WITH ARTICHOKES AND AïOLI

Steps:

• Make aïoli:
• In blender, purée garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons oil until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add yolks and lemon juice and blend until smooth. With motor running, very slowly add remaining 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons oil in thin, steady stream, blending until aïoli is thick, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Roast fish:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Grease 13- by 9-inch roasting pan.
• In small saucepan over moderately high heat, combine garlic and 3 cups water and bring to boil. Drain and repeat process two more times. Set garlic aside.
• Make seasoning mixture:
• Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and za'atar.
• Lay 1 fish on its side. Holding sharp paring knife at 30-degree angle from fish, cut 3 vertical 2 1/2-inch-long slits through skin and partially into flesh. Turn fish over and repeat in same manner. Repeat with other fish. Pat fish dry, then rub with seasoning mixture, being sure to tuck some into slits.
• Arrange tomato slices so they cover bottom of roasting pan. Lay fish on top and surround with thyme and rosemary. Roast, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• While fish is roasting, prep artichokes:
• Fill medium bowl with cold water. Squeeze juice from lemons into water; add squeezed lemons.
• Using serrated knife, cut off artichoke stems and discard. Cut off top 1/2 inch of 1 artichoke. Bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base, then discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until reaching pale yellow leaves with pale green tips. Cut off green tips. With sharp paring knife, trim dark-green fibrous parts from base and sides of artichoke. Halve artichoke lengthwise and use spoon to scoop out choke. Drop artichoke into lemon water. Trim remaining artichokes in same manner and keep in lemon water until ready to use.
• When fish has roasted 15 minutes, scatter garlic cloves across pan and continue to roast until fish is just cooked through, about 15 more minutes. Keep warm.
• While fish is roasting, cook artichokes:
• In 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, heat oil until thermometer registers 350°F. Fry artichokes in batches (returning oil to 350°F between batches) until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer fried artichokes to paper towels to drain, and immediately season with sea salt. Keep warm.
• To serve:
• Transfer fish to large platter and surround with tomatoes. Scatter artichokes over, and serve aïoli alongside.

CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND LEMON

Steps:

• If using fresh artichokes, fill a large bowl with water. Cut 1 lemon in half then squeeze the juice into the water; add the spent lemon halves to the bowl, too.
• Prepare the artichokes one at a time, rubbing them all over with the spent lemon halves as you cut and expose the inner artichoke heart. First, cut off at least 1 inch of the thorny top. Trim the stem near the heart, leaving about 2 inches of stem if possible, then peel off the outer green fiber of the stem. Using your fingers, tear off the tough outer leaves, then switch to a sharp paring or bird's beak knife, when necessary, to shave more inner artichoke leaves until you reach the tender pale green or yellow leaves and create a bulbous shape. Gently open the leaves and remove the choke using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller, then scrape and tear (or slice) the remaining leaves off so that only the bottom remains. Cut the artichoke heart in quarters; put the quarters in the lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration. Discard the rest of the artichoke, leaves and stem, or reserve for another use.
• Pat chicken dry, then season all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook, undisturbed until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate and spoon out about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan, if desired. (You can discard the excess fat or save for another use.)
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, parsley and saffron. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the onion, then stir to combine.
• Add the broth to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the pan skin-side up. Arrange the artichokes between the chicken pieces, cover, and simmer over medium-low until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened and the artichokes slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the juice from half the remaining lemon, taste, and adjust with salt and more lemon juice if needed. Spoon artichokes and pan sauces over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley to garnish, and serve.

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH POTATOES, ARTICHOKES AND LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Lightly oil a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet.
• Put the chicken thighs on the baking sheet with plenty of room in between them. Season well with salt and pepper and roast in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the artichokes from their package and rinse them in a colander under warm water to separate them and to begin to thaw them (it's fine if they're still partially frozen when you roast them.) Drain them well.
• Thinly slice half the lemon and juice the other half.
• Measure 4 tsp of the juice into a small bowl and whisk in 3 Tbsp of the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Put the artichokes in a large bowl with the potatoes, thyme sprigs, lemon slices, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to coat well.
• When the thighs have roasted for 15 minutes, take the baking sheet out of the oven. Dump the artichokes, potatoes, and lemon slices onto the baking sheet in the empty spots surrouding the thighs. Try to distribute things more or less evenly and in a single layer so the vegetables get nicely browned. Keep the lemon slices toward the center of the pan so they don't burn.
• Continue roasting until the chicken skin is crisp, the meat cooked through, and the artichokes and potatoes are tender and browned, about 30-40 minutes.
• Divide the thigs and vegetables among four plates.
• Drizzle each serving with the lemon vinaigrette.