A is for artichoke ….the August theme for FMS photo-a-day is the alphabet, followed by numbers. For years Hubby has played chauffeur and driven me all over the state to snap a photo for Photo-A-Day. Life is far more complicated these days and we don’t go on our adventurous drives but this month I’m going to give it a go staying closer to home. So A is for Artichoke … roasted to be precise.
I love artichokes and have had them prepared by steaming and on the grill, so I thought I’d give roasting a whirl. I rarely have all of the exact ingredients but am never inclined to run to the store – I much prefer to improvise.
The recipe called for garlic cloves, I found the minced in the frig variety worked just fine.
The recipe didn’t call for wine, but isn’t everything a little tastier with a splash or two?
The artichokes were delicous, I served them with grilled salmon topped with mango salsa.
- artichokes that are 3 to 4½ inches wide
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil per artichoke
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme per artichoke
- 1 thin lemon slice per artichoke half
- 1 peeled garlic clove or ½ tsp minced garlic per half
- a splash or two of white wine
- Break off and discard small outer leaves. With a knife, slice off artichoke tips. With scissors, snip thorn tips from remaining leaves. Trim dark base from stem ends and, with a knife, peel coarse fibers from stems and artichoke bottoms.
- Cut artichokes in half lengthwise.
- With a spoon, scoop out thistles at base, being careful to not remove the heart. Rinse well, and drain briefly.
- Choose a pan in which the artichokes fit close together in a single layer (6 halves fit in a 9- by 13-in. pan); if there are large spaces, the juices will scorch.
- For each artichoke, pour 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil into pan and add ¼ teaspoon dried thyme. Roll artichokes in oil to coat, and turn cut sides down. Slide 1 thin lemon slice and 1 peeled garlic clove under each artichoke half. Seal pan with foil.
- Bake in a 375º oven until artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Transfer artichokes, cut sides up, to a platter; top with lemon and garlic, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
- Drizzle artichokes with pan drippings; or add butter and lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon each for each artichoke half) to roasting pan, place over high heat until butter is melted, and drizzle over artichokes.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Another artichoke favorite is done on the grill, check out our son’s creation on my other site Red Razbarry HERE
For a little fun … I played along with Tablescape Thursday with an artichoke themed setting on the back porch. You can see it HERE