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Parmesan Crusted Baby Artichokes

Artichokes on platter

I have never made baby artichokes, and might never have if not for a picking error by Fresh Direct*. Last week I kind of managed to plan our food for the week, and that included a treat of artichokes for dinner one night. When my order arrived there were two errors (highly unusual, perhaps they were training someone new); my cabbage was actually a green pepper, and my two artichokes were two bags of baby artichokes. They were most apologetic, and credited me for both. No coleslaw, and the artichokes would have to wait.

This was a busy week so it took me until the weekend to deal with the baby artichokes. I did some reading up on everything from prepping them to recipes. Lemons seemed to be I every recipe, not a surprise as artichokes are often served with Hollandaise sauce, though I like mine with plain melted butter. You can also whip up some good mayo with lemon juice and have a decent Hollandaise substitute. When I want Caesar dressing in a hurry I use mayo, lemon juice and grated parmesan, but I digress.

baby artichokes

Allow me to offer a disclaimer; I did not recipe test this a few times. This recipe is the result of my first effort, so I’ll share my errors, go back to the drawing board and when I’ve got it exactly right will publish a formal recipe. for now, I’m offering you a pretty good way to make these, and some advice based on my mistakes.

  1. I was too conservative in my leaf trimming. You need to pull off more leaves than I did, the outer leaves are not entirely edible, so we did some not very elegant chewing and spitting out.
  2. They need to cook a bit longer than I did to fully caramelize the cheese. I suggest turning the pan halfway through, and cooking another five minutes (or more) until you see browned edges of cheese around each artichoke.

Other than that things went well. And they are quite good, with just the right amount of lemon and garlic to complement the sweet artichokes. When you clean them don’t worry about the choke, baby artchokes don’t have any. Pull off the outer leaves until you get to the tender inner leaves. Trim the stems, and cut in half. They turn brown faster than you can imagine, so I advise trimming them all before you start cutting them. I used an entire lemon. I zested it and juiced one half, and used the other half to rub on each exposed half. Here’s the recipe as it is for now:

  • Pull off outer leaves until inner tender leaves are exposed, trim stems
  • In a bowl put juice of half a lemon, and zest of a whole lemon
  • Cut each baby artichoke in half, and before adding to bowl rub the cut side with the other lemon half (the juice will slow the browning)
  • Toss the lemon and artichokes
  • Add about 1/2 cup of chicken stock or salted water to a large sauté pan
  • Lay the artichokes cut side down in the pan, cover and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350° F
  • While the artichokes cook, grate 2 oz. of parmesan cheese onto a silicone mat on a sheet tray. If you don’t have one of these you can use parchment, but foil won’t work.

baby artichokes

  • Drain off any liquid remaining in the pan, and put into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil (about 2 TBL) a teaspoon of kosher salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, and toss well 
  • Lay the artichokes cut side down on the cheese
  • Roast for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is starting to brown around the edges of the artichokes
  • Remove from oven and turn artichokes over to let cheese dry and crisp
  • Eat hot, or at room temperature

Raosted Artichokesbaby artichokes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*If you want to try Fresh Direct follow this link and we’ll both be rewarded!

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  • June 6, 2016 - 9:50 am

    Peggy Gilbey McMackin - Nancy,these look spectacular!!! Every year in spring I prepare the larger sized stuffed artichokes as soon as I see them fresh and nicely shaped. For all the access I have to the plethora of fruits and veg in my area, I have never seen baby artichokes and have always wanted to prepare them! They photograph nicely too. Looks like the error turned into a pleasant victory… enjoy the repeat!ReplyCancel

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