Amazing Artichokes

It's Winter, which means artichokes are abundant. We are lucky that we can go in to just about any market and find ingredients that we love in any season.

Have you had some fresh artichokes lately? I've always liked artichokes, but they come from a can or I order them from a restaurant. Up until this post I'd never attempted to cook them at home. What an amazing versatile vegetable the artichoke is. You will be happy to know that artichokes are very beneficial to your health. Artichokes are chock full of antioxidants like cynarin and silymarin, that help to flush the liver and regenerate liver tissues. Why is this important? Your liver supports almost every organ in your body and it's health is vital for survival. The fact that it is the only human organ able to  regenerate natural healthy tissue proves it's importance and we should do all we can to help it along. Artichokes are a natural diuretic that aids in digestion along with being high in fiber and a cholesterol reducer. Now on to the good stuff.

Steam Um Up

First let's go over some helpful steps to preparing your own artichokes at home.

Start with an artichoke that isn't blemished, it's leaves are smooth and not dry or brittle at the base. The younger the artichoke the more tender it is, but don't be afraid of those huge, beautiful ones you see in your market, they are all wonderful.

Cut off the stems so the artichoke can sit upright in the pan. Remove the tougher outer leaves near the stem. Rinse them and pat them dry. You want to cut about a half to one inch off the top of the artichoke, depending on size and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the whole artichoke. The lemon juice will prevent them from turning dark. You can also take kitchen shears and cut the top of each leaf about a 1/2 inch.

In your stock pot add 1 inch of water, vegetable or chicken stock and 1 crushed garlic glove and turn to medium heat.

Once the liquid begins to simmer, place the artichokes in the pot, bottom down. Make sure they are sitting upright and adjust them if you have to by carving the bottom where the stem was.

Lower the heat to simmer, cover and let boil for 30-40 minutes. Check the artichokes by pulling an inner leaf out, it should come easily. If the leaf give any resistance, add 5-8 minutes more cooking time. Remove them from the liquid, drain upside down, tear off a leaf, start dippin and enjoy.

*Alternative cooking method

Fill your stock pot with cold water, add 4-5 artichokes, 2 lemons halved and squeezed, 2 T. kosher salt and 4 garlic cloves that are whole, but have been sliced barely at the tip & 1 bay leaf. Place a heat safe bowl over the top to keep the artichokes under the water.  Boil for 25 minutes. 

The Best Artichoke Dipping Sauce with Dill

This dip is a lower fat version of the popular sauce served at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Vegas.

• 1/4 cup Best Foods Light mayonnaise 
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon or lime juice
• 2 T. fresh dill, chopped

Garlic-Herb Dipping Sauce for Grilled Artichokes

• 2 tablespoons light or regular mayo
• 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped herbs (a combination of rosemary and parsley is my favorite)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 fresh artichokes, washed in cold water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Refrigerate the sauce while you're grilling the artichokes.

Take 4 of your artichokes, stem trimmed only on the very bottom, and the trimmed, boil with instructions above and then set aside on their tops to drain and to cool.

Slice your artichoke, stem on, in half. Carefully cut out the choke out with a paring knife. Brush with lite olive oil, season with course sea salt, garlic powder and pepper and grill on medium high until slightly charred.

Parmesan Dipping Sauce

• ¼ C. Olive Oil
• Zest of half lemon
• 1/3 C. Onion, finely minced
• 4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
• Salt and pepper
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese, shredded

                                                                Horseradish Aioli

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salad supreme seasoning
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat for a few minutes and then add the garlic. Cook for one minute – be careful to not let it burn. Take off the heat and add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to develop the flavor.

Try adding canned or jarred artichoke hearts to pasta, pizza and soup. I often add a can of them to my cauliflower soup before I puree and it creates such an amazing texture and mouth feel. Next time you make lasagna, slice the artichokes lengthwise and layer them in with the cheese and sauce and it will be fabulous.

Linguine with Lemon and Grilled Baby Artichokes

Photo and Recipe courtesy of meals.com

1 1/2 cups fresh, frozen or canned baby artichokes or artichoke hearts, tossed in 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 package (9 ounces) BUITONI Refrigerated All Natural Linguine
(Rps makes fresh gluten free pasta at Harmons, or you could get Dellalo corn blend pasta, those are the best choices)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

chopped fresh chives

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

PREHEAT grill.

GRILL artichokes over medium heat until lightly browned. Alternatively, place on baking sheet, cut-side-up and position 6 inches from broiler. Broil for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

BRING water to a boil in large pot; add linguine. Cook for 1 minute. Drain, reserving ¼ cup cooking water.

HEAT oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant (the garlic should not brown). Stir in wine and cook for about 4 minutes or until slightly reduced. Add lemon juice, lemon peel, parsley, chives, tarragon, salt and pepper; cook for about 1 minute or until mixture is heated through.

ADD cooked linguine to skillet along with reserved cooking water and Parmesan cheese. Toss gently to coat. Toss in artichoke hearts. Serve immediately with additional extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Creamy Artichoke Dip

Recipe Here

This recipe comes from MarthaStewart.com It's one of my favorites and fairy easy to make. Take this to your next family gathering and it will be a total hit. 

4 slices of gluten free Udi's bread, regular if not GF
   tear the them into 2inch pieces (3 cups worth)
1 box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained. This is important because frozen artichokes have the best consistency for this dip. 
1 tube of anchovy paste, about 1/2 tsp. (ammended from original recipe)
1/2 tsp sugar (I used splenda)
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a little for drizzling
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper
Chopped Chives for garnish

In a medium bowl, pour 1 cup water over bread. Immediately squeeze as much water as possible from bread and transfer to a food processor along with anchovies, artichokes, and sugar. Process until a paste forms. With machine running, slowly add oil, scraping down bowl as needed. With machine still running, add lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. To serve, top with chives and a drizzle of oil. 

Spinach and Artichoke Soup (I adapted this recipe from Johnny Carino's) this recipe is not Gluten Free

3 tablespoons butter + 1tsp olive oil or grapeseed
1 cup of canned artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
2 tablespoons flour
1 small onion or 2 large shallots minced
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese softened and cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like it
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
1 cup fresh spinach chopped
Parsley for garnish



In a stock pot, add onion or shallots with butter and olive oil. Once the onion is softened add garlic and saute until it smells fragrant, make sure it doesn't burn. Dust the onions and garlic mixture with your flour and combine. 

Add artichokes, chicken broth and tortellini and cayenne seasoning, with a salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 10 minutes until the flour thickens the broth. Remove the tortellini and set aside in a bowl until the end of the soup.  

Add remaining ingredients and lower your heat slightly so it doesn't curdle the cheese or milk. Cook until it's all combined and smooth-ish. Bring to a slight bubble, add chopped spinach leaves, parmesan and return your tortellini back to the pot, garnish with parsley. Serve piping hot with crusty bread. 

This is a great recipe that goes with grilled chicken on skewars. Season chicken with cayenne, garlic powder, onion salt and rosemary. Grill the skewars and serve alongside your soup.



Hot Artichoke Parmesan Dip
This is the low fat version, but you'd never know it.

• 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained (you can use marinated artichokes in a jar, but it will be a little bit more fat calories because they are packed in olive oil, you can also reduce the mayo by 1/4 cup.
• 2/3 cup lite mayo
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 scallion
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + 2 T. for top of dip

In a Cuisinart or blender combine garlic, scallion, lemon juice, mayo and sour cream and half of the can of artichoke hearts and pulse until smooth and creamy. Chop by hand the rest of the artichoke hearts and fold in to blended mixture with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. If it's too thick, you can blend it with a little bit of milk or some juice from the artichoke can. Pour mixture into a oven proof casserole dish that has been sprayed. Sprinkle remaining 2 T. of Parmesan cheese on top and bake at *375 until bubbly and brown.
Serve with bread, celery sticks, tortilla crisps or crackers.  


Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms 
24 medium cremini (baby bella) or white mushrooms
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup drained marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs, divided  (if gluten free, seasoned C4 brand)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mayo or plain yogurt 
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to low. Coat a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
Remove and finely chop mushroom stems. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the stems, shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in artichoke hearts, 2 tablespoons of panko, Parmesan, mayonnaise and thyme.
Toss the mushroom caps in another bowl with 2 teaspoons oil, salt and pepper. Stuff each with filling and place in the prepared pan. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon panko and 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle on the mushrooms.
Broil on the upper rack until the mushrooms are soft and the breadcrumbs are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

You can prepare the mushroom stuffing pretty far in advance to save some time, just refrigerate it wrapped in plastic bag, then cut off corner for filling the mushrooms. Easy!