For many, they are the most beautiful vegetables in the world! Artichokes, because we are talking about them, are not only very charming, but also healthy, nutritious and tasty. However, their preparation may cause some problems. See how to prepare artichokes and what recipes you can conjure up from them.
What does an artichoke taste like?
It is tart-bitter, slightly nutty. The tastiest are small, young artichokes. After cooking, we eat them leaf by leaf until we reach the bottom, i.e. the artichoke’s heart. It is the most delicate and the best part of it.
How to prepare artichokes?
Warning! During the pre-treatment, the prepared artichokes should be placed in a bowl with water or vinegar acidified so that they do not darken.
An ideal artichoke should be heavy, with compact leaves that make a creaky sound when squeezed. The first issue is peeling an artichoke. At first, cut off the stem over the base. Then cut off the outer, hard leaves and the tips of those that remained 1/3 of the height. Finally, cut the artichoke in half and remove the inedible leaves.
How to cook artichokes?
Dip artichokes whole in water. It should be remembered that there should be at least 1 liter of water per one artichoke. We cook them in salted water with the addition of olive oil and a few drops of lemon. The total cooking time is about 35-40 minutes until the vegetables become soft.
We can also steam them – 20-25 minutes. We prick with a knife and check if it is cooked. We cool and remove hairy agents.
Recipes with artichokes
The cooked artichokes themselves are delicious, but it never hurts to sprinkle them with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, parsley. You can sprinkle them with walnuts or pour lemon or orange juice. Various types of dips: garlic, herbal, vinaigrette will work great. It is also worth adding a few capers. Soon, a recipe for cooked artichokes with almond dip!
Cooked hearts, after removing the hairy means, we can stuff: mushrooms, cheese, meat (the famous Italian dish – carciofi alla romana, i.e. artichokes in Roman, are stuffed with spicy stuffing from olives, bread crumbs and herbs). Chopped hearts are used for salads (especially those with the addition of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, Parmesan cheese); in Italy, we often meet them in pasta dishes and on pizza. WARNING! Their hearts are equally tasty cold and hot.
Artichoke tart: 300 g of cooked hearts, cut, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix. We add 200 g of cream cheese cream, mix. We lay out the tart form with puff pastry. We fill with stuffing, cover with a second puff pastry, glue the edges. Grease with beaten yolk, use a knife to make holes in the dough. We bake 30 minutes in 200 degrees.
A more aromatic possibility of making artichoke is stewing in olive oil. To 1 cup olive oil, add 2-3 cloves of garlic, a few bay leaves or other dried herbs as desired. Vegetable halves should stew for about 30 minutes. Proportions are given for 5-6 artichokes.
