Simple recipes to up your artichoke game.
Cooking with artichoke hearts raises the question of whether to pare fresh artichokes (and feel the thorns) or leave that labor to somebody else and work with frozen or canned/jarred artichoke hearts. For these recipes, you can certainly substitute ready-to-eat hearts for fresh. The tradeoff for the convenience factor is that you lose some flavor and texture.
Genevieve Ko’s spinach artichoke dip is a lighter, vegan and dairy-free version of the rich, cheesy classic. The famous Italian dish carciofi alla Romana (artichokes with garlic and mint) is a straightforward braise of artichoke hearts flavored with lemon, white wine and fresh herbs. In a slightly more complex dish, Bavel chef Ori Menashe makes confit of artichoke hearts in olive oil that is steeped with flavors of the Near and Middle East — cumin, turmeric, ginger, fresh mint and parsley — and garnished with marash pepper and more fresh herbs. Aginares avgolemono (artichoke bottoms in avgolemono), a recipe from chef Cosmas Kapantzos, features artichoke bottoms (the meat of the heart) bathed in a thicker version of the classic Greek avgolemono soup as a sauce. If you are all about intense artichoke flavor, Russ Parsons’ cream of artichoke soup is a velvety artichoke-umami bomb.
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
This homemade vegan artichoke dip is light and refreshing for spring, yet creamy and satisfying. Perfect as an appetizer for a party or potluck.
Time 15 minutes
Yields Serves 6 to 8
Carciofi alla romana (artichokes with garlic and mint)
Carciofi alla Romana, the classic Roman preparation of artichokes with garlic and mint, is surprisingly simple to make.
Time 45 minutes
Yields Serves 6
Bavel’s Herbed Confit Baby Artichokes
Fresh radish slices add crunch to baby artichokes slow-cooked in olive oil and herbs.
Time 50 minutes
Yields Serves 8 to 10
Aginares Avgolemono (Artichokes in Greek Lemon Sauce)
The classic Greek lemon soup provides a wonderful sauce for meaty artichoke bottoms.
Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields Serves 4 to 6
Cream of artichoke soup
Artichoke hearts are simmered with aromatics, pureed and then thickened with a liaison of eggs and cream, which gives it a silken texture.
Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields Serves 8 to 10
