How to Eat an Artichoke
Pull off each leaf, one by one, dip into
whatever sauce you like, and slide the
leaf between your teeth, scraping off
the meat at the base of the leaf. Fa-
vorite sauces are mayonnaise, lemon
vinaigrette and melted butter. Once
you’ve finished eating the leaves get
ready to enjoy the best part. Pull out
the purple tipped leaves, scoop out the
fuzzy choke to reveal the heart; a large,
delightful disk of pure artichoke.
Roasted Artichokes with
Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta with Sausage, Artichokes
and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Roasting makes these artichokes sweet
and a little crisp around the edges.
Serve as an appetizer with the lemon
vinaigrette, garlic mayonnaise or thin
shavings of parmesan cheese. Frozen artichoke hearts make a great
substitution for baby artichokes. If
you can find walnut sized artichokes,
by all means use them, but the frozen
artichokes allow you to make this dish
year round!
4 medium size artichokes
4 lemons
9 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
with olive oil. Drain artichokes and toss
with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, ¾ tsp salt and
pinch of pepper. Rub oil mixture over
and between leaves of artichokes. Place
on prepared pan. Cut 2 lemons in half
and arrange next to artichokes. Add
about 2 Tbsp water to pan. Cover arti-
chokes with a layer of parchment or wax
paper, then tightly wrap with aluminum
foil. (Artichokes will discolor if alumi-
num comes into direct contact). Roast
until artichokes are browned and leaves
and base are tender, about 25 to
30 minutes.
Transfer artichokes to
serving platter. To make lemon
vinaigrette, cool lemons slightly
then press out juice to make 1½
Tbsp. Whisk in parsley, mus-
tard, and garlic. Slowly whisk
in remaining 6 Tbsp olive oil to
emulsify. Add salt and pepper to
taste. Serve artichokes warm or
at room temperature, with lemon
vinaigrette.
Adjust oven rack to lower middle posi-
tion and heat to 475 degrees. Cut 2
of the lemons in half and add juice
and squeezed halves to about 2 quarts
water. Working with one artichoke at a
time, trim stem to 1 inch. Cut off top
¼ of artichoke. Snap off 3 to 4 rows
tough bottom leaves and trim thorns of
remaining leaves. Trim outer stem and
base. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise
and scoop out inner tiny leaves and
choke. Submerge trimmed artichoke in
lemon water and repeat with remaining
artichokes.
Coat bottom of 9 x 13” baking pan
and sauté until garlic is tender, about 2
minutes. Add broth, wine and tomatoes
and bring to a boil. Cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until the
sauce reduces, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of
salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli until
al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta
(do not rinse) and add to the skillet
along with sausage, parmesan, basil and
parsley. Toss until the sauce is almost
absorbed by the pasta. Stir in moz-
zarella. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve, topping with additional
parmesan.
Artichoke Trivia
Two thousand years ago the Greeks
wrote about artichokes in a book on
medicinal uses of plants. Both the
Greeks and Romans considered them
an aphrodisiac.
¾ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried
tomatoes, 2 Tbsp oil reserved
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 8 oz. packages frozen artichoke hearts
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
16 oz. fusilli pasta
½ cup shredded Parmesan
plus extra for serving
1
⁄ 3 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 ounces water packed fresh mozzarella,
drained and 3 ⁄ 8 ” cubed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Artichokes were brought to the United
States in the 19th century by French
and Spanish immigrants.
Heat 2 Tbsp reserved oil in large skillet.
Add sausage and cook until brown,
breaking the meat into bite sized pieces.
Transfer sausage to a bowl. Add arti-
chokes and garlic to the same skillet Despite being very much a niche
veggie — the artichoke ranks 67 th out of
70 in the state in terms of value. It was
named California’s state vegetable in
2013.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
june/july 2019
California produces 100% of the United
States artichoke crop, with Castroville,
California calling itself the “Artichoke
Center of the World.”
In 1948 Marilyn Monroe, then going
by her given name Norma Jean, was
crowned Castroville’s first Artichoke
Queen. This year serves as the 59th
edition of the Castroville Artichoke
Festival, which takes place June 2 and
3 at the Monterey County Fairground.
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