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How to Cook Artichokes in Artichoke Recipes
Some artichoke recipes call for whole artichokes, which are often served with a dipping sauce. This recipe however uses baby artichokes instead and the topping uses a mixture of lemon, parsley, and oil to keep the dish beautifully delicate and moist. This artichoke recipe makes a great salad or appetizer. It can be served straight from the oven or at room temperature.
The combination of artichokes, white wine, garlic, and oil shows you how it is possible to keep a dish really simple, relying on the main ingredient (which is, in this case, artichokes) for most of the taste. The topping adds plenty more flavor and this flavor sinks through into the artichoke layer, but the main layer is kept quite simple.
This is something that a lot of people forget. Never assume complicated dishes are better than plainer ones. If you are using good quality ingredients your meal should always taste delicious, whether you are cooking artichokes, making a stew or following a different recipe. You should not have to disguise the flavor of the key ingredients by adding too many spices or herbs. This just interferes with the natural flavors in the dish.
Baked Baby Artichokes with Lemon and Parsley
Ingredients -
14 baby artichokes
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
For the topping:
1 cup homemade breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Extra oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Parsley leaves for garnish
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Clean the baby artichokes by peeling the stems and the outer, tough leaves. Chop off the top third. If you are not ready to use them immediately, keep them in a bowl of water with some lemon juice added so they don’t discolor.
In a large casserole dish, place the artichokes, garlic, olive oil and wine. Add some water if the artichokes are not already covered with liquid. Cover the casserole and bake for 20 or 30 minutes until tender.
Remove the artichokes from the oven and turn it up to 400ºF. Pour off any excess liquid. Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle it over the artichokes. Drizzle on some more olive oil and bake them with this topping until golden brown. Sprinkle some more parsley over to garnish and also some Parmesan cheese if you like.
(Serves 4)
Wine Suggestion:
Which Wine to Serve with This Recipe
Because many artichoke recipes have a very light, delicate taste, a good wine to serve with this dish would be fresh and dry. A sauvignon, unoaked Chablis or young Chenin Blanc would be perfect. These wines are best served at 55ºF.
Photo Description:
A Picture of Baked Baby Artichokes with Lemon and Parsley - is a wonderful and elegant dish that is the perfect accompaniment for any of our chicken dishes. It has a wonderful citrus twist to this classic vegetable side dish recipe.
California Dry White Wine
White wine becomes dry when sugars from the juice convert to alcohol. This happens during the fermentation process. If there is a small amount of residual sugars, the wine is medium-dry. A dry wine can also be fruity because fruitiness does not automatically mean sweet. Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are examples of dry wines with plenty of fruit aromas and flavors. Sauvignon Blanc goes well with fruit and cheese platters.
Chardonnay is the most popular dry white wine to come out of California but also comes in sweeter varieties. Pinot Gris is a close runner up in terms of popularity. The grape lineage is related to the Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Gris has more body than, for example, Sauvignon Blanc. Its aroma is of minerals and pear and it is good with fish dishes and creamy recipes. Pinot Blanc is medium dry and less complex than a Chardonnay..
Sauterne - A French Wine Made in California
Sauterne is a French wine and it is incredibly popular. This wine is considered by a lot of wine connoisseurs to be among the finest white wines made anywhere on the planet. Sauterne is the name of a place in France and it is south of the Bordeaux area. The vineyard where Chateau Yquem (a famous Sauterne from France) is made is just two hundred acres, which means that the annual output of this wine is small. Not much of it reaches the United States since wine lovers all over the world are fiercely bidding for it. Haut Sauterne is made with grapes, which are left on the vine after they are ripe. They are only removed when they are almost raisins and there are four or five pickings. The early picked ones make the best wine.
Sauterne can be syrupy sweet or medium sweet, although there is also a dry version. Sweet sauterne is rich tasting and a light amber in color. There are also Californian Sauternes and the best come from the Livermore Valley. These are made with Colombard and Semillon grapes, and also a some Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle de Bordelaise grapes, to give it the right flavor. Californian Sauterne ranges from 12 to 14 percent alcohol and it is best served chilled. This wine is great with chicken or fish in delicate sauces and vegetarian dishes like an aromatic artichoke recipe.
Learn More About Wine>> California Wine Country Mini Articles are spread through out the site get a list of articles at this link.
