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Artichokes

From: Scott Brown <sbrown@ctlnet.com
I found this at www.fabulousfoods.com, hope it helps.

To prepare an artichoke for cooking:
 1.Remove the sharp outer top leaves by cutting about a quarter of the
 artichoke from the top ( a serrated knife works well).
 2.Trim the base so that your artichoke can stand up straight.
 3.Place in pan with about an " and a half of salted water(you can also add
 a little lemon juice to the water if you like). Or you can use a steamer basket.
 4.Cover pot and steam artichokes for about 30 to 40 mins
(depending on size), or until bottoms of the artichoke are tender (test
with a fork). Check your water levels often, as y=F8u will quickly boil it out.
 5.Serve with melted butter (I like to add a little lemon juice
and garlic to mine), a mayonnaise style dressing or even a hollandaise sauce.

 How To Eat An Artichoke:
 Pull off a leaf and dip the widest end into butter or sauce. Pull the leaf through your
 teeth, taking off the tenderest part. Discard the rest of the leaf. Continue with other
 leaves. As you get closer to the heart, remove the tiny leaves and the hairy choke
 from the heart. The rest is entirely edible.

 How to prepare an artichoke for stuffing:
 1.Cut off stem so artichoke can easily stand.
 2.Cut about an inch off the top.
 3.Using a spoon or (even better) a melon baller, hollow out the middle,
 including the hairy choke (make sure you remove all of this).
 4.Stand artichoke upright and stuff with filling of your choice.

 How To Buy An Artichoke:
 When buying artichokes, look for a vibrant color and a vegetable that is tightly
 closed (an artichoke that is starting to open is not that fresh). Another good rule of
 thumb is to look for one that feels heavy for its size.

Focaccia di Carciofi (Artichoke Focaccia)

This recipe is from Antonio's mother. Antonio lives in Pisa.
I've never met him but he sent me this by email. Kay Hartman

For the filling:
9 artichokes [I don't know what size artichokes are available in Italy but I used 3 large American artichokes and the proportions seemed to work out right]
1 clove garlic [I used 2]
2 eggs
Salt
Olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

For the dough:
300 grams flour [Antonio guessed that this would be about 2 1/4
cups. I don't know. I measured out 300 grams and didn't convert
it to cups. 300 grams is about 10 ounces. Also I don't know
what kind of flour the women in Antonio's life use. I used
Italian 00 flour and I am betting that it was the wrong choice.
Next time I am going to try all-purpose unbleached flour.]
0.11 liters olive oil [Antonio guessed that this would be about
1/2 cup. This is pretty close. I think it's just under 1/2 cup
but I wouldn't know how to express this in American measurements.
1/2 cup is probably close enough.]
12 grams compressed yeast [I started out to use 1 package, or 2 1/4
teaspoons, of dry yeast. I didn't have enough and wound up using
approximately 1 3/4 teaspoons of dry yeast. This worked out
fine.]
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups lukewarm milk [I used only 1]

Wash the artichokes, clean them and cut into slices. [I cut off
the stem, removed all the leaves, pared the outside of the heart,
and removed the choke.] Cook the artichokes in a pan with a little
water, a little olive oil, salt and a sliced clove of garlic [I
used 2]. When cooked, remove from the fire, add the whole eggs and
the Parmesan cheese and mix well. [There was next to no water left
in the pot when I was done. Just enough to moisten the artichoke
slices. I let the artichokes cool before adding the eggs and
cheese.] Test and adjust for salt.

Put the flour in a bowl. Add the salt and sugar and mix well. Add
the olive oil and stir until the flour is well impregnated with
oil. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm milk. Pour the milk
and yeast into the bowl and mix well. Continue adding lukewarm
milk while kneading the dough with your hands until the dough is
soft, oily, and stringy, much softer than bread dough. [When I
added the first cup of milk the dough was very loose. I worked the
dough with my hands, leaving the dough in the bowl, breaking the
flour/olive oil clumps as I worked. I didn't add any other milk.]

Grease a 20 x 30 centimeter (8 x 12 inch) bakepan [I used a 10 x 10
inch baking dish] with olive oil. Spread half of the dough on the
bottom of the pan. Pour and spread the filling into the pan and
cover with the remaining dough. This last operation is rather
difficult and requires practice since the dough is very soft and
sticky. One trick is to work with wet hands. The oily dough will
not stick to them. Seal the upper and lower dough layers at the
edges.

Put the prepared cake in the cold oven and switch the light on; let
it rise for 2 - 3 hours [or just put the bread in a warm place to
rise]. Switch the oven and and bake at 175 degrees C (350 degrees
F) for about half an hour and in any case until golden brown.

Carciofi sott'Olio (Marinated Baby Artichokes Preserved in Oil)

These marinated artichokes are a staple in our house. The recipe
comes from Patricia Wells' Trattoria. Patricia Wells marinates the
artichokes with parsley. I did this once but I did not think that
the parsley made the artichokes flavorful enough. I use different
combinations of herbs when I make these. My favorite is fresh
oregano.

2 cups (500 ml) Champagne vinegar
2 cups (500 ml) water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
8 bay leaves, preferably fresh
2 1/2 pounds (1.25 kg) small artichokes (about 25)
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
4 plump fresh garlic cloves, degermed
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, snipped with a
scissors

1. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the vinegar, water,
salt, and 4 of the bay leaves.

2. Prepare the artichokes: Rinse the artichokes under cold running
water. Using a stainless steel knife to minimize discoloration,
trim the stem of an artichoke to about 1/2 inch (1 cm) from the
base. Carefully trim off and discard the stem's fibrous exterior.
Bend back the tough outer green leaves one at a time, letting them
snap off naturally at the base. Continue snapping off the leaves
until only the central cone of yellow leaves with pale green tips
remains. Lightly trim the top of the cone of leaves to just below
the green tips. Trim any dark green areas from the stem.
Depending upon its size, leave whole or halve or quarter the
artichoke lengthwise, and transfer immediately to the vinegar
mixture to prevent discoloration. Continue until all the
artichokes are trimmed.

3. Bring the liquid and artichokes to a simmer over medium-high
heat. Simmer, reducing the heat if necessary, until the artichokes
are tender but still offer a bit of resistance when pierced with a
knife, 7 to 10 minutes. (Cooking time will vary according to the
size of the artichokes.) Drain the artichokes, discarding the
vinegar mixture and bay leaves.

4. While the artichokes are still warm, marinate them: If the
artichokes will be consumed the same day, arrange them in a single
layer in a shallow dish and partially cover with oil. To preserve
them, arrange in layers in a sterilized 1-quart (1-l) canning jar,
or several smaller sterilized jars: Layer the artichokes, garlic,
parsley, and the remaining 4 bay leaves, finishing with a layer of
artichokes. Completely cover the artichokes with oil. Set aside
uncovered, until the artichokes are completely cool. If necessary,
add additional oil to come to the top. Cover securely.
Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 months, making sure that the
artichokes are always covered in oil. The artichokes preserved in
this manner can be consumed as soon as they are cool, but will have
greater depth of flavor if allowed to marinate for at least 24
hours.

Yield: 1 quart (1 liter)

Branzino coi Carciofi (Baked Sea Bass with Artichokes)

This recipe is from Patricia Wells' Trattoria. It is one of my many
favorites from the book. I've made this dish successfully with New
Zealand snapper and striped bass.

4 globe artichokes
1 lemon
1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 whole sea bass, Alaska snapper, or red snapper (about 2 pounds;
1 kg), scaled and cleaned, but with head and tail on, rinsed and
patted dry
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the table

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C; gas mark 9).

2. Prepare the artichokes: Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice, and
place the halved lemon and the juice in a bowl filled with cold
water. Rinse the artichokes under cold running water. Using a
stainless steel knife to minimize discoloration, trim the stem of an
artichoke to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the base. Carefully trim off
and discard the stem's fibrous exterior. Bend back the tough outer
outer leaves one at a time, and snap them off at the base. Continue
snapping off the leaves until only the central cone of yellow leaves
with pale green tips remains. Trim the top of the cone of leaves to
just below the green tips [or you can just get rid of all of the
leaves]. Trim any dark green areas from the base. Halve the
artichoke lengthwise. With a small spoon, scrape out, and discard,
the hairy choke. Cut each artichoke half lenghtwise into paper-thin
slices, and place immediately in the acidulated water. Repeat with
the remaining 3 artichokes.

3. Drain the artichokes. In a large skillet, combine the artichoke
slices, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the oil, and the salt, and toss to coat
the artichokes with the oil. Over moderate heat, saute the artichoke
slices just until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Set
aside.

4. Season the fish generously inside and out with salt and pepper.
Place it in a shallow baking dish that will hold it snugly. Stuff
the cavity with the sprigs of rosemary and as many artichoke slices
as will fit. Scatter the remaining artichokes, as well as the
juices, around the fish. Drizzle with the lemon juice and the
remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.

5. Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake,
uncovered, until the fish is opaque through but not dry, 30 to 40
minutes, basting every 10 minutes. (The baking time will vary
according to the size of the fish.)

6. Remove the fish from the oven and let sit for about 3 minutes to
allow the fish to firm up enough to fillet.

7. To serve, fillet the fish and divide it among 4 warmed dinner
plates. Arrange several spoonfuls of artichokes alongside. Pass the
lemon wedges and a cruet of olive oil.

Yield: 4 servings as a main course