I have eaten baby artichokes in restaurants, but never prepared them, so I turned to an expert: Mario Batali. I found his recipe for carciofata (an Italian vegetable appetizer rich with sundried tomatoes, baby artichokes, currants and fresh herbs) on the Food Network website and felt certain of impending success. The dish sounded like everything I love to eat, plus the prep time of 15 minutes, cook time of 20, matched my Wednesday evening attention span. Here’s the link:
Mario Batali's Carciofata Recipe
Cleaning the artichokes wasn’t the daunting task I expected: simply snap off the lower petals until you reach the yellow-green core, then cut off the top half inch of the leaves (just below the green tips). Finally, trim all of the remaining green areas from the base and slice in half—that’s it. I found the repetition therapeutic. Here are step by step instructions with photos (this is the webspage for the brand of artichokes I had: Ocean Mist Baby Artichoke Preparation).
In no time, the carciofata reduced to thick, caramelized goodness, brightened by the addition of fresh basil, mint and parsley. I served it up with thick slices of ciabatta toast and grilled (a la Foreman—don’t be too impressed) chicken sausages.
(carciofata just before adding the herbs)
It is delectable. Not, “oh, this is pleasant vegetable side” but “are you sure these are vegetables, because I could devour the whole pan” good. I have a short list of things I refuse to do in front of my husband; licking my plate is one of them. But next day at lunch, while Kevin worked and baby Nick napped, I did just that with the leftovers.
I did tweak the recipe in a few ways:
(1) I used a LOT less olive oil (3 tablespoons instead of 10—good grief, Mario!) I sautéed in the three tablespoons oil and didn’t add any more at the end as he directed.
(2) I used chopped raisins instead of currants (supermarket was out)
(3) I doubled the amount of sundried tomatoes.
(4) Mario says a bunch of parsley equals a 1/4 cup chopped—that must be a tiny bunch of parsley. A little goes a long way with me, so I kept it to 3 tablespoons so it wouldn’t overpower the basil and mint (which are fabulous!)
(5) Finally: no baby artichokes? No problem. I made this again yesterday with 2 8-ounce packages of frozen (thawed) artichoke hearts (I wanted to see if it worked and I couldn’t wait to find out; I’m just obsessive that way). It was equally heavenly (and a lot less work).
Last, in my quest for food enlightenment, I looked up the nutrition for artichokes. I wasn’t expecting much (Thistles? Healthy? I was doubtful), so I was doubly pleased at what I uncovered: they are prickly powerhouses. I have the good news below.
Artichoke Nutrition Notes:Artichokes are rich in iodine, low in calories, and high in fiber, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, chromium, manganese, potassium, iron, and calcium. They also contain a potent photochemical called cynarin, which improves liver and gallbladder function and lowers bad (LDL) blood cholesterol levels. Artichokes are also easy to digest, increase overall energy, and have a neutralizing effect on some toxic substances. In addition, artichokes benefit heart activity and the speed of blood clotting.
10 comments:
I hate to admit this but I have NEVER had artichoke! Sheesh, maybe that explains why I had to have my gallbladder removed last year! :P
Oh, I am a big fan of Mario Batali! He's one of my favorites. Did you hear he's not going to be working with the Food Network anymore? :( He will be on PBS and the Fine Living Channel, though.
I love the little nutrition section you posted, it's a great idea! I always love to know the nutrition content of what I'm eating :). Oh, and I know what you mean about cutting back on the oil, I'm that way about butter! :D
I'm an artichoke fanatic... but I've never ever prepared or even had baby artichokes. Sounds like a dish to try!
I've never made baby artichokes, and I was happy to see you tested the recipe with the frozen artichoke hearts as I have 2 bags of those in my freezer now! This sounds like something I would really enjoy.
This looks soooo good, and I have starred it on Google reader (to try once the semester wraps up). 10tbsps of oil sounds a bit much, but a splash of good Olive oil (especially the kind that has a bit of the natural olive bitterness)just prior to serving sounds delicious, too.
It makes me want to forget about papers and such and just do it...it's a good excuse: "Sorry, I cooked Carciofata instead!"
Sophie,
Oh, what you are missing! You need to forget about light food for one night and plunk yourself down in front of a steamed artichoke and some melted butter (for dipping). It's one of the best ways to enjoy a stick of butter (ok, a few pats). Do it for the sake of good health (print out a copy of the nutrition and place it beside you as you enjoy the butter :))
Hi Recipegirl,
They are really tender---and easier to prepare since they don;t have the fuzzy part around the heart. The final product that gets sauteed looks a lot like preppred regular artichokes, but they are definitely more tender. Worth trying!
Hey Patsy,
Yes, the frozen artichoke hearts worked like a charm. There are so many intense flavors in the dish, (plus you cook the entire mixture down--similar to caponata--that the frozen regular hearts worked like a charm.
Eralda,
You can either make it yourself or I will make it for you! We need to set a date to get together anyway!!!
And I understand the desire to chuck the grading etc. aside in favor of cooking; you are stronger wiled than I!
I'll be making this tomorrow if I can find mint in the store, too early this spring for any fresh, its been colder than usual. I'm pretty sure this will be a hit with the 18 year old veggie son.
Hi bjn!
So neat to hear from you and to have a Hoosier checking in--my husband and I really miss Bloomington :( Please feel free to send me an email, too! I'm flattered that you remembered me throughout the wins!
Cheers,
Camilla
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