Vive Le Beurre

It’s the end of spring which means that artichokes can be found at the market as they peak in spring, but can still be harvested in the summer.

Here’s a great recipe for an easy artichoke recipe, which demands no cutting or crazy waste of the vegetable!

I also included a simple gremolata recipe with it as I think parsley and citrus are great pairings with the vegetable. For the salt and fat, a sprinkle of Parmesan was added just at the end of the cooking and broiled.

Artichoke:

Ingredients per artichoke:

• 1 artichoke
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Break off stem from artichokes and pull the petals to open it up a little bit.
3. Use knife to make an incision in the heart and inset the whole clove of garlic.
4. Drizzle olive oil and rub onto and in between layers of the artichoke.
5. Season lightly (the parmesan is salty).
6. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 1h15 (though time may vary depending on size).
7. Unwrap the artichoke and sprinkle grated parmesan overtop.
8. Broil until parmesan melted or golden.

Gremolata:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups packed parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 lemons (just the zest)
• 1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Method:

1. Mince the garlic and use a microplane to zest the lemons (alternatively, you can cut the zest off and chop it finely).
2. Finely chop the parsley.
3. Mix the ingredients together.
4. Season accordingly.

Serve the artichoke immediately and top with sprinkles of the gremolata.

Enjoy!