Artichokes braised in white wine and olive oil with shallots, garlic, parsley and mint. Served warm or at room temperature, it’s a perfect prep meal.
Raise your hand if you love artichokes! I usually prepare mine steamed, with some balsamic mayo for dipping. But this braising method is quickly becoming a favorite.
Quartered and prepared artichokes are simmered in white wine and olive oil with shallots, garlic, bay leaves, parsley and mint.
This dish is inspired by a classic Roman-style braised artichoke. For this dish, more of the outer leaves are removed and the artichokes are braised until tender and ready to eat with a knife and fork.
The artichokes we get here in California are larger and tougher than the purple romaine artichokes used in the classic dish. So we still stew them but leave the leaves on and eat the leaves like a regular steamed artichoke.
If you like, you can simply snip more leaves off the artichokes until you reach the most tender leaves in the center and stew the artichokes that way.
Braised marinated artichokes
Choose artichokes that have closed petals. They are fresher than artichokes, whose petals open wide. Frost-kissed artichokes are particularly tasty, so they taste great even if they look a little tainted.
ingredients
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2 big artichokes
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1 lemon
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1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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3/4 Cup cut shallots
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3 cloves garlicchopped (about 1 tablespoon)
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3 bay leaves
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1 Cup dry White wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc)
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3/4 Cup water
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
method
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Prepare the artichokes:
Prepare a large bowl of cold water. Squeeze half a lemon into the water. Using a serrated knife (a bread knife works well), cut off the top inches of the artichokes. Squeeze some lemon over the cut surfaces to prevent the artichokes from turning brown.
Cut off the thorny tips of the artichoke leaves with kitchen scissors.
Quarter the artichokes with the serrated knife.
Use a metal teaspoon to scrape the hairy thrush above the artichoke heart. Remove the small, papery, purple leaves near the thrush. Rub the cut surfaces again with lemon.
Place the quartered artichoke hearts in the bowl of acidified water when you’re done cooking.
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Sweat the shallots and garlic:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan that holds all of the artichokes tightly in one layer. (Choose a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.)
When the oil is hot, add the shallots and sauté until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
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Add wine, water, bay leaves, salt, then simmer:
Add the white wine, water, bay leaves, and salt to the saucepan. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pan 1/4 inch. If not, add more water until it’s there. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute.
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Add quartered artichokes, let simmer:
Place the quartered artichokes, cut-side down, in a single layer in the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to medium-high. Simmer for 20 minutes. (If it seems like the liquid is about to spill out of the pot, add more hot water to the pot.)
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Toss with parsley and mint, continue to simmer:
Then toss in the parsley and mint, turn the artichokes to coat them in the sauce, cover again and cook for another 5 to 15 minutes, until the leaves are soft and peel off the artichoke easily.
Note that older artichokes will require a longer cooking time (and therefore more water/wine in the pot) to soften.
Let cool to slightly warm or room temperature. Serve with some gravy and shallots from the braising liquid. Especially good if you make it a day in advance and give the cooked artichokes more time to marinate. Simply allow to cool and bring back to room temperature before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 315 | calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 40g | carbohydrates |
| 6g | protein |
