What to do with a ARTICHOKE ?

My dear Sweetypies,
You probably know what an artichoke is, but what do you have to do with that and how can you prepare it ? Well, first a 'lesson' in artichokes cleaning and then some Italian recipes. And an extra recipe the Belgian way.
Remember, in Italy they cook 'with feeling' not with measurements. So follow your gut feeling and taste now and then.

Artichokes cleaning:

Cut off the stem but leave three inches of the artichoke. Pull the outer leaves of the artichoke off. Press your thumb against the bottom of the next set of leaves, fold them so they break and tear them along the stem so the soft part remains. Then cut, first leave by leave, then more than one leaf at a time, to the inside in a conical shape. Remove the fibers of the stem so that the soft interior remains. Rub what is left immediately in with lemon. Put the 'heart' in water with some salt and some lemons in it. For the artichokes with hay (beard): cut the artichoke in half lengthwise and then cut the hairs out.

Some TIPS:

Artichokes are the flower heads of very large plants. The best artichokes are the first flowers and recognizeble by their long stem and their purple color. Afterwards the flowers grow on side shoots, on shorter stems so, gradually with an ever-smaller heart, more hay (beard) and green leaves who gradually will open further. If you have bought artichokes, put them, like flowers in water. Then they will last longer. Or put a wet towel on the flowers, so they become not tough as fast. Even the stem alone you can put in water, to prepare later. Raw stems, which the fibrous outer is peeled, you can serve in a salad. If you want to prepare many artichokes you can better put gloves on because otherwise your fingertips and nails get really very dirty.

Frittati Di CARCIOFI.

You need:

- Artichokes, peeled

- Eggs (1 per artichoke)

- Some Parmesan cheese, grated

- olive oil

- Fine salt

- A few mintleaves

- Pepper

- a bowl

- a pan

Preparation: 

Cut the peeled artichoke cross into thin slices. Cut the stem into small cubes. Put them in a bowl, add a teaspoon of olive oil and some fine salt. Break the egg(s) (1 per each artichoke) also in the bowl. Add a lot of grated Parmesan cheese to it. Mix everything. Pour some olive oil in a pan and let it heat up. Then fry one side slowly, so that the artichoke is cooked well-done. Push the mass down a bit. Then turn your frittata (use an oil-rubbed plate to do that, that slides better.). Now fry the other side until you have a nice pancake. Add a few mintleaves as decoration.

Carpaccio Di CARCIOFI.

You need:

- Artichokes, peeled

- Lots of lemon

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Some mint leaves

- Thin slices of Parmesan cheese

Preparation: 

Cut the peeled artichokes into thin slices, over the entire length, from stem to tip. Arrange them nicely on a plate (yes indeed, raw.). Add pepper (no salt), quite a lot of lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Cover with a few mint leaves (gives it some color). Top with thin slices of Parmesan cheese. A simple recipe and nice to eat in the summer.

CARCIOFI Fritti.

(for 4 pers.)

You need:

- artichokes, cleaned

- An egg

- 150 gr. flower

- Some soda water

- Olive oil, and keep 1 tablespoon olive oil apart

- 2 tablespoons white wine

- Some parsley, chopped

- Kitchen Paper (paper towel)

- salt & pepper

- a bowl

- a pan

Preparation: 

Put the egg, 150 gr. flower, some soda water, salt & pepper, the one spoon olive oil and the 2 tablespoons white wine in a bowl. Stir until the batter drips in strands of your fork. Cut your cleaned artichokes in the length in slices of + - 3 mm. thickness. Mix the artichoke slices in the batter. Add some chopped parsley. Warm oil in a pan until the oil smokes. Add the artichoke slices one by one to it. Leave them in the oil until they are nicely golden. Drain on paper towels. Eat them hot !!

CARCIOFI Ripieni.

(this, my Sweetypies is really a lot of work, call it a labour of love.)

You need:

- 4 Artichokes

- 300 ml. water and some

- a large pot

For the bed of vegetables:

- 1 carrot, washed and peeled, cut into medium-sized pieces

- 1 onion, peeled, cut into medium-sized pieces

- 1 clove garlic, peeled, cut into medium-sized pieces

- 1 steal celery, washed, cut into medium-sized pieces

- parsley, chopped

- olive oil

For the fiiling:

- 3 eggs

- 1 carrot, washed, peeled, grated

- 1 onion, peeled; grated

- 1 clove garlic, peeled, grated

- 1 stalk of celery, washed, grated

- Parsley, chopped

- 150 gr. bread-crumbs

- 200 gr. grated cheese such as parmesan or grana padano cheese

- 3 eggs

- Salt & pepper

- A bowl
- a rather large pot

A. the artichoke heart, empty

B. the heart filled with veggies and on a bed of veggies.

Preparation: 

Iff you gone fill the artichokes you have to do it this way: 

After removing the outer leaves and stem, cut the top off, acrosse. Then, gently pull it, carefully, open (see top picture A)

Now make your bed, of vegetables ;-) :

Pour in the pot, a base of olive oil. Put the medium-size cut pieces of ​​vegetables in the pot and add the parsley, a tablespoon oil and salt & pepper.

For the filling:

Take the grated vegetables and put them in a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and grated cheese, mix in 3 eggs. Pull the leaves from the heart of the artichoke, very careful, as wide open as possible. Fill in all the nooks and crannies with the mixture and the stuf it on high (see pic. B, right side filled artichoke.)

Furthermore:

Place the well-stocked artichoke hearts on to the vegetable bed (Put them with the stuffing against each other so that it does not fall out, see pic.B, left side filled artichokes.). Pour in 300 ml. water. Put on really low heat. If necessary, add a little water now and then. Let simmer for +- 1 hour.

PENNE Ai CARCIOFI.

(for 4 pers.)

You need:

- 4 artichokes

- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled

- Some bay leaves

- Pasta: penne 

- good olive oil

- Salt & pepper

- water

- a pot

Preparation: 

Peel the artichoke stems and cut into round slices. Cut the heart once in the middle by length, then lengthwise into thin slices. Pour a lot of good olive oil in the bottom of the pot and heat up. Add the garlic and some bay leaves. Put the artichokes in it and let that stew. Add pepper & salt. Take then the garlic out of the pot (if you wish, you can leave it in.). Cook the pasta, but not completely al dente ! Afterwards add the pasta and some of the broth (the moisture where you cooked the pasta in) in the pot with the artichokes and leave to cook a little longer, till the pasta is al dente. Be careful, do not overcook the pasta, that would be a shame and a lot of people make that mistake.

TIP:

You can also put two eggs in it. Or eat the sauce with bread instead, which is a great hit with kids.

Brodo Di CARCIOFI.

(A good recipe to process leftover stalks)

You need:

- artichokes

- celery, washed and cut in pieces

- onion, peeled, cut in cubes

- parsley, shopped

- A few bay leaves

- A small block of Parmesan cheese

- tomatoes, washed and cut in pieces

- salt & pepper

- olive oil

- Pasta or bread

-a pot

Preparation: 

Dispose the outer fibers of the stems. Cut them into pieces of half a centimeter. Put olive oil in the pot. Throw the pieces of artichoke in the pot and add salt & pepper, some celery, onion, parsley and bay leaves. Follow your feeling in terms of quantities. Add the block of Parmesan cheese. Why ? Just because it's tasty  ;-)  Bring to the boil. Now add some tomatopieces to it. Let everything cook (10 min. is ok, but the longer you cook, the more flavor you get, so 20 min. is also good.).

If you want to eat it with pasta, boil the pasta first, half cooked (so not completely al dente), in water. Then add the pasta, in the last minutes, in the Brodo, to cook completely. You can also eat this with bread.

farvi gustare buono !

Grilled ARTICHOKE with spicy GRAIN MUSTERD MAYONAISSE.

You need:

- 4 artichokes, cleaned, cooked, cooled down and then cut in half

- 3 tbsp. mayonnaise

- 1 tbsp. spicy grain mustard

- 2 lemons, the juice

- chives, chopped

- tarragon

- olive oil

- Salt & pepper

- a bowl

- a baking tray (sheet)

Preparation: 

First make the dressing: Put the grain mustard in a bowl and add the lemon juice (not all the juice !), the chives, tarragon, mayonnaise and pepper & salt. Mix well. Now take the already cooked artichoke halves, place them on a baking tray (sheet) and drizzle with olive oil. Grill on both sides. Drizzle them, just for serving, with some lemon juice. Put some lemon juice on the table (optionel).

Eat them,

The Veggie Lady
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