Okie Dokie Artichokie

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables but they are very intimidating. They are tough and pointy, making people shy away from cooking them. I am here to tell you that you have nothing to fear! Artichokes are easy once you get the hang of it! Here are some of my favorite artichoke recipes…

Baked Stuffed Artichokes are fairly easy to make. The only tricky part is trimming the artichoke and removing the choke from the center. To make it easy on myself, I trim the spiky part of the leaves with some scissors. Then, using a sharp serrated knife I cut the top point of the artichoke off. You can then scrape out the center, but I prefer to scrape it out after I steam them. That way, it is tender and very easy to remove. Here is my recipe for Baked Stuffed Artichokes…

Ingredients:

2 Large Artichokes (or 4 Small Artichokes)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Large Shallot (finely diced)

2.5-3 Cups Italian Breadcrumbs

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

3 Lemons (juiced)

1 Lemon (sliced)

3-5 Garlic Cloves

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot 1/3 of the way up with water. Put garlic and lemon slices in the water and bring to a boil.

2. Place trimmed artichokes in the boiling water, face down, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until tender and the leaves are easy to remove.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter and cook the shallots, until they are translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes.

5. To the butter mixture add the breadcrumbs, parmesan, the juice from 3 lemons, salt and pepper. Stir till combined.

6. Remove artichokes from boiling water, if you didn’t remove the choke (center) when you trimmed the artichoke, do so now! Place the artichokes in a baking dish.

7. Stuff the artichokes with the breadcrumb mixture.

8. Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes, until breadcrumbs have turned golden brown.

Another one of my favorite ways to use artichokes is in Chicken Piccata. Chicken Piccata is salty and lemony, and by adding artichoke hearts, it gives the dish a new layer of earthy flavors. In my opinion, they are a match made in heaven. Here is how I make my Artichoke Heart Chicken Piccata…

Ingredients:

1lb Chicken Tenderloins

1/2 Cup Flour (seasoned with Salt and Pepper)

3 Tablespoons Oil

5-8 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 Package of Steamed Artichoke Hearts (You can use marinated, but fresh is best!)

1 Bunch of Broccolini (steamed)

1 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Lemon (juiced)

1 Jar of Capers (strained)

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

1/4 Cup Butter

Parsley

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Coat the raw chicken in the seasoned flour.

2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Cook the chicken through until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. In the same pan, use the drippings to cook the garlic, artichoke hearts, and broccolini until browned.

4. Add the wine and let reduce for about 5 minutes

5. Add lemon, capers, chicken stock and butter. Let this reduce for another 5 minutes

6. Remove from heat. Toss in the chicken and top with pepper and parsley.

   Optional- Serve with Pasta!

   Tip- Do not add salt until you taste it!! The capers are very salty!!

I hope next time you’re in the grocery store, you give artichokes a chance! They have such a delicious earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with lemon, butter, and salt! They might seem a bit scary at first, but they are totally worth it!