I have just typed my recipe into Word, word! The first blog I ever wrote, I wrote directly
in Blogger; well I lost all my work when I went to publish. Lesson learned! Now I enter everything into Word, copy and
paste into Blogger.
I was thinking that maybe I should come up with a prettier,
more alluring title for these artichokes.
I went to Merriam-Webster.com; entered “shortcut”.
Shortcut, verb; to avoid having to comply with (something)
especially through cleverness
Synonyms beat, bypass, dodge, get around, shortcut,
sidestep, skirt
Follow me to the end and you will see why I chose not to
change the title. (Notice the italicized
words.)
I know there are a lot of photos, but I also know there are
some of you who have not cooked with whole artichokes. I hope the photos show that it’s not that big
of a deal.
First you have to see how pretty these globe artichokes are;
I couldn’t resist them!
Unfortunately there is no shortcut to cleaning the
artichokes.
Cut the tops off, about ¼ of the way down. You must rub all the cut surfaces with a lemon
to keep them from browning.
The traditional recipe leaves the artichoke whole, but by cutting
them in half, we will beat the clock in cooking time.
Shortcut, verb; to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through
cleverness. I think this is pretty
clever.
Use a small spoon to scrape out the choke, and carefully
pull out the tough inner (purple) leaves being sure to dodge the prickles on
said leaves.
Use a paring knife to get around the base and the stem of
the artichoke, to reveal the soft green flesh.
Don’t cut the stem off, it tastes just like the artichoke heart!
Once you have cleaned an artichoke place it into a bowl of
acidulated water while you clean the remaining artichokes.
Put the artichokes and the lemon into a large pot of salted
boiling water. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, if
you pull a leaf it should come out easily.
Boiling the artichokes bypasses some of the cooking time.
In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the onions,
mushrooms and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil; until the onions
are translucent.
My artichokes have finished cooking so I removed them to an
oven proof baking dish. You can see I
didn’t add the liquid, but if you follow the directions and put the liquid in
first, you will side step the issue of soggy bread crumbs at the end.
Add the pine nuts to the skillet to toast for a minute or so.
I had a loaf of Ciabatta bread, so I cut some of it into fine cubes.
Add another
tablespoon of oil and some butter; when the butter has melted, add the fresh
bread crumbs, grated Parmesan…*If you use the pre grated Parmesan from the
super market, it will be more dense, so reduce the amount of cheese to ¾ cup.
…the chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add 1/3 cup of stock to moisten the bread crumbs.
Now hoist up your skirt, cut we’re going to stuff the
artichokes.
My Italian friends put the stuffing in between each and
every leaf (actually they get the kids to do it), while I admit it makes for a
delicious stuffed artichoke, it is time consuming!
We’re just going to mound the stuffing in nice little cup
that the artichoke half makes.
Shortcut, verb; to avoid
having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness. I would say this is non-compliance.
Top with a little more cheese if you want.
Put them in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bread
stuffing is golden brown.
You could use the buttery cooking liquid to dip the leaves
into….or make an aioli while the artichokes are in the oven.
Here’s what you need.
In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, egg yolk, mustard,
salt and pepper.
Slowly stream in the oil while whisking continuously.
Once it has thickened…
Add the garlic and
refrigerate until ready to use.
So I know the title of the dish “Shortcut Stuffed Artichokes”
is not pretty or alluring; but because I avoided complying with tradition, and
using what I think are a couple of clever tricks to make stuffed artichokes in
a quicker and easier manner, the title is perfect!
Billy eats a whole artichoke, while I only eat half; that's why it serves 2 to 4.
Serves 2 to 4
2 Large
artichokes,
1 1/3 cups Vegetable
or chicken stock
¼ cup Dry white wine *optional
3 cloves Garlic, smashed
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Butter, divided
3 Tbsp Olive oil, divided
¾ cup Onion, about ½ of a large onion, diced
small
1 ½ cups Shitake mushrooms, about ¼ pound, stems
removed and diced small
1/3 cup Pine nuts
2 cups Fresh bread crumbs
1 cup Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, *if using
the Parmesan cheese that has already been grated from the supermarket, then use
about ¾ cup of cheese.
1/3 cup Flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
Salt
and pepper to taste
1 cup Aioli, recipe follows
1.
Pre heat
oven to 400 degrees.
2.
Cut off the top ¼ of the artichoke. Rub the cut surface with the lemon.
3.
Pull off the outer layer of artichoke leaves,
and use a paring knife to trim the fibrous covering from the stem.
4.
Cut the artichoke in half.
5.
Use a small spoon to scrape the choke out of the
center, carefully pull out and discard the prickly, purple leaves.
6.
Put the artichoke into a bowl of water and
lemon.
7.
Repeat with the other artichoke.
8.
Put the
artichokes and the lemon in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Until, when you pull on a leaf, it easily
comes out.
9.
You will need an oven proof baking dish that
will fit the 4 artichoke halves comfortably. In that dish combine 1 cup of vegetable or
chicken stock, white wine, salt to taste, 3 smashed garlic cloves, and 2
tablespoon of butter. Set to the side, until the artichokes are done cooking.
10.
When the artichokes are cooked, remove them from
the water; and put them in the baking dish containing the stock and wine, in a
single layer, cut side up. Set to the
side, until the stuffing is ready.
11.
Meanwhile; sauté in a large skillet over medium
heat, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onions, shitake mushrooms and the
garlic. Cook until the onions are
translucent.
12.
Add the pine nuts and toast for a minute or two.
13.
To the cooked vegetables add another 1
tablespoon of olive and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
14.
When the butter has melted, add the fresh bread
crumbs, parmesan cheese, flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Sauté just a couple of minutes.
15.
Add 1/3 cup of vegetable or chicken stock to
moisten the stuffing.
16.
Fill the cavity of the artichokes with the bread
stuffing. The stuffing will be slightly
mounded. If you want to, top with a little more grated Parmesan.
17.
Roast the artichokes in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes,
until the stuffing is golden brown.
18.
Serve with aioli, for dipping the leaves into.
AIOLI
Yields 1 cup
1 Egg
yolk
1/2 Lemon,
juice only
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Grape seed oil
1 clove Garlic, mashed into a paste. Use a small garlic clove.
1.
In a
small bowl whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
2.
In a slow stream, while continuously whisking,
add the oils to the egg mixture. If the
mixture starts to separate while streaming the oil, stop the stream, whisk
until it comes back together, and then continue.
3.
Once the oil is incorporated and the mixture is
thickened; whisk in the garlic.
4.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
