Artichokes with Balsamic Sriracha Aioli

Let's give it up for the much misunderstood artichoke. Never had one? You are missing something! Give this a try at least once. It's a fun and delicious finger food, great for casual occasions, and you won't forget the unmistakable, and unique delicious flavor for a long time.

4 globe artichokes

Aioli:

1/2 cup good real mayonnaise

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Sriracha

2 clove garlic, minced through a press

Set a large pot with about 2 inches water to boil.

Trim artichokes: first, slice about an inch off of the tip of the globe. Then trim the tips of the leaves using kitchen shears. Finally, using a sharp paring knife, trim the end and the skin off the stalks. I do this by first trimming the tip off of the stalk and then scoring a circle around the base of the stalk. Turn the artichoke standing upside down and carefully cut off the skin with continuous back and forth motions of the knife down the stalk, just until you reach the score on the base. Pull the slice of skin off. Rotate the artichoke and repeat as often as necessary to remove all the skin. A warning - the stalk is delicate (but delicious!) so a light touch and a very sharp parking knife are in order.

Set a steaming rack in the pot and place the artichokes on the rack. Cover and steam for about 30 minutes, until leaves can be pulled off very easily,

Remove artichokes from rack with tongs and set in a colander to cool.

Meanwhile whisk together the aoli ingredients in a small bowl. Divide among 4 individual ramekins.

I like to slice the artichokes in half, which I find more decorative and less intimidating. Do this by standing the artichoke stalk side up and slice in half, being especially careful of the delicate stalk.

Serve artichokes with aioli dip.

Cook’s note: For those who are new to artichokes, the meaty ends of the leaves are dipped into the aioli and the flesh is then pulled off with your front teeth. The remaining tough leaf is discarded. It is a good idea to supply bowls for this at table.

Once all leave are eaten, the fibrous choke should be scraped clean of the base with a teaspoon (also should be set at table). Then the base can be cut into pieces and also dipped into the aioli - this to me is the biggest treat of the artichoke!

I was brought up on artichokes, but my mother would always serve them with home made vinaigrette. This is outstanding and you should try this with your favorite. She boiled her artichokes which works well, but like Elise Bauer of simplyrecipies.com, I think you risk a potentially waterlogged product. Your choice.

Comments

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded 2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet. Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet. Flip to brown second side. Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment. It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt. Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper t...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog