Tuesday 22 May 2012

oven braised artichokes with garlic & thyme




I found this recipe on the wonderful food blog Gourmande in the Kitchen, written by Sylvie Shirazi. With the artichokes in season they are everywhere and I was beginning to crave them. I didn't really make any changes, added a bit of garlic and used less oil. I took the photos when I was experimenting with skipping the white wine, so they look less cooked if you compare them with the photos of the original recipe. I wanted to taste them without the wine, just to see how it would work, and I must say that they tasted really good. The recipe with the white wine is, of course, delicious. If you have never cooked artichokes before then I dare you to try it, it's not as difficult as some would think and when you take that first bite it's quite rewarding.

OVEN BRAISED ARTICHOKES WITH GARLIC AND THYME

INGREDIENTS

  • 45 ml extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons)
  • 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/4 cup)
  • peel from one lemon
  • 60 ml good quality/organic white wine or water (1/4 cup)
  • sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 large artichokes
  • for garnishing: 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

  1. In a large roasting pan, combine all the ingredients except the artichokes
  2. Pull off and discard the thick outer leaves of the artichokes by bending them back and pulling them down toward the stem. (Remove leaves that are dark green, but do not remove leaves that are green at the top and yellow on the bottom.)
  3. Snip off the tops of the leaves (at the point where the green and yellow come together) and trim around the base of the artichoke heart to smooth the sides and peel the stem
  4. Cut the artichoke in half and scoop out the fuzzy choke with a small spoon. As each artichoke heart half is completed, add it to the roasting pan with the braising liquid, turning it to coat completely and prevent browning
  5. Cover the pan with a lid or parchment lined aluminium foil and cook in the oven on 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 30-40 minutes, until the hearts are tender when pierced with a knife [I cooked them in the oven for exactly 40 minutes]
  6. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, and let the artichokes cool in the braising liquid
  7. Garnish with chopped parsley [I skipped that step], serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled

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