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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2021)
2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 HOME & LIVING chilled, with potato chips. ARTICHOKES Make Ahead Continued from Page 1B Now fi rmly entrenched in eating artichokes only from their pre-cooked forms, I rediscovered how much I love them and how wonderful they are. But like crab and oysters, artichokes rest in a sort of alien realm where their distinct fl avor and form defy neat categorization. Instead of treating them as a “vegetable” — they possess neither the virtuousness of the dark leafy greens nor the fi ber-wellness cachet of brassicas — I serve them only as an appetizer, hors d’oeuvre or starter course, where they can show off their individuality. For a great way to start a summer picnic, I lean on those aforementioned tea sand- wiches my mom made, except I make them with more fresh herbs and a lot less mayon- naise. I cut them into fi nger- size blocks, as intended, and pass them around to guests in the cold Tupperware container I brought them in. If I’m entertaining at home, I pull out the simplest appetizer of all time, an idea I got from my friend Helen Rosner. She pours a jar of oil- marinated artichoke quarters onto a baking sheet and bakes them in a high-heat oven until the artichokes sizzle and crisp in the oil. Like Italian fritti but without the mess of deep- frying, they’re a one-product hors d’oeuvre that only needs a sprinkling of fl aky salt and a squeeze of lemon while still piping hot from the oven be- fore serving with cocktails. In the dip world, spinach and artichoke reign supreme. As wonderful as that pairing is, there are plenty of recipes out there for great versions, from bubbling hot dishes loaded with cheese and cream to easy vegan iterations stuffed in bread bowls. I like artichokes in a simpler, less dairy-dependent mode. Tak- ing inspiration from another Mediterranean world staple, I use grilled, smoky artichokes as a base for a baba ghannouj- like dip. I blend char-speckled grilled and marinated artichoke quarters — easily found in grocery stores or you can use Helen’s “oven-fried” version — with lemon juice, garlic, cumin, tahini and olive oil until silky smooth. Slightly more tangy in taste than the eggplant version, the dip is simpler than the traditional since you’re not having to blacken and peel eggplants. While I am bound to the convenience of canned/jarred artichokes, on the rare, once- every-two-or-three-years Wrapped in plastic wrap, the sandwiches will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. ‘OVEN-FRIED’ ARTICHOKES Time: 35 minutes Yields: Serves 6 to 8 marinated artichoke hearts or quarters, drained, or homemade roasted (see note above) 1/4 cup everyday olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1/4 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt or vegan cashew yogurt (optional) 3 tablespoons well- mixed tahini Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Finely chopped fl at-leaf parsley, to garnish (optional) Pita chips, for serving This recipe, given to me by my friend Helen Rosner, is a much simpler version Ben Mims/Los Angeles Times-TNS of Italian fritti that doesn’t 1. In the bowl of a food Like fried Italian artichokes you’d serve with cocktails, these require making a batter or processor, combine the lemon are easier and involve only a quick stint in a hot oven. deep-frying. Make sure to buy juice, cumin and garlic and pulse to break up the garlic; let artichokes marinated in oil occasion I willingly deal with bread works best here because only; if there is water or brine, stand for 5 minutes. Add three- fresh ones, I’m making one it will affect their roasting and quarters (or 6 ounces) of the it stays moist under refrig- artichokes, the olive oil, yogurt, thing: Roman-style artichokes, eration, you can use any type make them less crisp. If you if using, and tahini, and purée or carciofi alla Romana. have to use water- or brine- you like, or even serve the until smooth. Season to taste Stuffed with parsley, mint and sandwich fi lling open-faced on packed artichoke quarters, with salt and pepper. garlic, pared artichokes are toast. If you want to make the drain them in a sieve, then 2. Scrape the dip into a shal- arranged upside down in a pot sandwiches vegan, simply use press gently with paper low bowl and use the back of a then braised low-and-slow in vegan mayonnaise. towels. Scatter them on ad- spoon to spread the puree over wine and olive oil, their stems ditional paper towels and let jutting up like pier posts from 3/4 cup mayonnaise air dry for at least 30 minutes. the bottom, creating a raised edge at the perimeter. Scatter the water at low tide. Tender 1/4 cup fi nely chopped Toss the artichokes with 2 fl at-leaf parsley at the heart and deeply cara- tablespoons olive oil in a bowl, the reserved artichoke quarters melized and crisp on the edges 2 tablespoons fi nely then transfer to the prepared over the dip then drizzle every- chopped dill thing with olive oil and sprinkle of their petals, it’s an elegant, baking sheet to roast. with parsley. Serve warm or simple preparation that I fi nd 2 tablespoons fi nely chopped chives 2 jars (12 ounces each) oil- at room temperature with pita to be the only artichoke dish 1 teaspoon Diamond marinated artichoke quarters chips. worth the trouble. Crystal kosher salt Everyday olive oil, if needed But for my appetizer-ready (see note above) version of the dish, I transform 1/2 teaspoon freshly Make Ahead ground black pepper Flaky sea salt the same ingredients into an 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika Lemon wedges, for serving Store the dip in an airtight elegant tart. I lop off the bot- 1 small or 1/2 large shallot, container in the refrigerator toms from canned artichoke minced (1/4 cup) 1. Heat the oven to 425 for up to 3 days. hearts and puree them with 1 almond-sized garlic clove degrees. Line a baking sheet herbs, garlic and wine, then with foil. add an egg to bind everything 8 ounces (drained weight) CARCIOFI ALLA canned or jarred 2. Place a colander or sieve together. This is spread over a ROMANA TART artichoke hearts, rinsed over a bowl and add the rectangle of puff pastry then and well-drained artichoke quarters, letting their Time: 1 hour 15 minutes topped with the artichokes’ 16 slices whole-wheat or oil drain into the bowl. Transfer Yields: Serves 8 to 12 petal clusters arranged in a white soft sandwich the artichokes to the prepared striking pattern. Once baked bread or pain de mie baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 The fl avors of Roman- to a puffed and crunchy golden brown, the tart delivers Salty potato chips, for serving tablespoons of the oil from the style stuffed artichokes come bowl. together in this elegant tart the same elegant appearance 1. In a large bowl, combine 3. Bake the artichokes, fl ip- perfect for slicing warm and for even less effort. the mayonnaise, parsley, dill, ping each with tongs halfway serving with cocktails. The You can use your freshly through cooking, until golden artichokes are used two prepared artichokes for these chives, salt, pepper, paprika recipes, but why bother? Save and shallot. Using a microplane brown and crisp all over, 20 to ways: the bottoms as a puree for the fi lling and the petal that work for showing off the grater, grate the garlic into the 25 minutes. 4. Transfer the artichokes to clusters arranged over the top artichoke in all its gothic glory. mayonnaise mixture. Using a food processor or a knife, pulse a platter while hot and sprinkle for a beautiful presentation. These recipes, using conve- to fi nely chop the artichoke with fl aky sea salt. Serve imme- Though the fi lling is intention- nient canned or jarred ver- hearts. Add the artichokes to diately with lemon wedges. ally dairy-free since the puff sions, return proper balance the mayonnaise mixture and pastry provides plenty of rich- to the work-to-reward ratio stir to combine. of cooking with them while ARTICHOKES À LA ness, if you want to add cheese 2. Arrange 8 slices of bread you can scatter 2 ounces of highlighting their idiosyn- BABA GHANOUJ crumbly feta or goat cheese or cratic fl avor. They’re artichoke on a work surface and divide Time: 10 minutes the artichoke fi lling among thin slices of mozzarella on top recipes for those of us that them, about 3 to 4 tablespoons Yields: Makes 2 cups before baking. love them but also want to each. Spread the fi lling to with- maintain our sanity. in 1/4-inch of the edges of the Though not typically found 1 1/2 pounds (drained weight) bread. Top each with another in traditional baba ghanouj, canned or jarred artichoke COLD ARTICHOKE slice of bread, then transfer to I add a little yogurt here to hearts (about 18 total) TEA SANDWICHES a baking sheet and cover with add more tang and give the 1 package (14 ounces) all- Time: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate spread a creamier texture; butter puff pastry, such as chilling for at least two hours or up to Dufour, thawed if frozen leave it out, though, if you’d Yields: Serves 8 two days. 1/4 cup fi nely chopped like to keep the dip vegan. 3. Use a serrated knife fl at-leaf parsley If you can’t fi nd pre-grilled to remove the crusts from The key to these sand- 1/4 cup fi nely chopped mint artichokes, use the roasted wiches is serving them ice cold the sandwiches, then halve, artichokes from “Oven-Fried” 3 almond-size garlic cloves from the fridge, so store them either diagonally to make two Artichokes, or make your 1/4 cup everyday olive oil there until just ready to serve. triangles or into neat rect- own by grilling halved whole 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1 teaspoon Diamond And while squishy sandwich angles. Serve the sandwiches artichokes until tender and Crystal kosher salt blackened, then scooping out 1 large egg the tender hearts. Garden Chores Freshly cracked black pepper • Study your landscape gaps that could 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 small lemon or 1/2 Continued from Page 1B be nicely fi lled with bulbs. Mark these 1 teaspoon ground cumin large lemon • M. Nervosa — longleaf mahonia. spots carefully and make a note to order 2 large garlic cloves Creates the impression of a stiff, leath- bulbs in August. 8 ounces store-bought grilled 1. Rinse the canned artichoke ery fern. Yellow fl owers, blue berries. • Enjoy, but do not disturb the many Spreads by underground stems to make wildfl owers. a good cover best in shade as a woodland • When buying bedding plants choose groundcover. compact, bushy plants that have not • M. nervinii (Nevin mahonia) and M. begun to fl ower. pinnata (California holly grape) do better • Plant butterfl y bush, dogwood, rose farther south. of Sharon, black gum (Nyssa), redbud, • M. repens — creeping mahonia, zones magnolia, tulip poplar, birch, ginkgo, 1-21. Native from Northern California hawthorn, and most oaks. These plants do Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands eastward to the Rocky Mountains. It better if planted in spring rather than fall. creeps by underground stems, to three • Examine shrubs for winter injury. APRIL 17-26, 2022 feet tall. Full bluish-green leaves turn Prune all dead or weakened wood. Spend 2 nights in Amsterdam and then embark on a bronzy in winter. Good ground cover in • When crabapples are in bloom, hardy 7-night Holland & Belgium river cruise aboard the AmaCerto sun and partial shade. annuals may be planted outdoors. FLORIADE EXPO 2022 INCLUDED! The blue berries are not poisonous and • When forsythia is in bloom, winter Trisha (541) 523-9353 or Sam (541) 963-9000 some people think they make a suitable mulches can be removed. Trishan@AlegreTravel.com PS Sam@AlegreTravel.com jam. Since mahonia is not deciduous they If you have garden questions or com- +PJO4BNPS5SJTIGPSUIJTGBCVMPVT'MPSBMDSVJTF make a great landscape shrub for low- ments, please write to greengardencol- $BMMUPEBZGPSNPSFJOGPSNBUJPO maintenance gardens. umn@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading! hearts in cold running water then drain. Arrange the hearts, petal side down, on a double thick layer of paper towels and let drain for 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, place the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly fl oured work surface and use a rolling pin to smooth it into a 15-by-12-inch rectangle. Trans- fer the rectangle to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using a paring knife, lightly score a 1/2-inch border on each side of the pastry. Transfer to the refrig- erator until ready to use. 3. Combine the parsley and mint in a medium bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the combined herbs and place in a small bowl; reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use. Using a microplane grater, fi nely grate the garlic cloves into the bowl of herbs. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the wine and kosher salt. 4. After the artichokes have drained well, one by one, tip the hearts over onto their sides and cut at the indenta- tion where the petals meet the bottom of the heart to separate them (it should be roughly at the halfway point of their length). As you cut off the bottom, transfer them (you should have about 10 ounces) to a food processor or blender and fl ip the petal clusters right side up once more to continue draining. Repeat with all the artichoke hearts. 5. Add the egg to the arti- choke bottoms and process until mostly smooth. Scrape the artichoke puree into the bowl of herbs and stir to combine. Season with pepper. 6. Heat the oven to 425 de- grees. Remove the pastry sheet from the fridge and scrape the artichoke puree in the center. Using an offset spatula or dinner knife, spread the puree evenly over the pastry, staying within the score lines. Make sure the puree is an even thickness and not domed in the center. 7. Using the palm of your hand, fl atten each artichoke petal cluster into a 1/2-inch-thick disk (the clusters should not fall apart) then transfer each disk to pastry, arranging them evenly over the puree. Drizzle the clusters and puree with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season liberally with cracked black pepper. 8. Bake, rotating the pan half- way through cooking, until the edges are golden brown and puffed and the artichokes are lightly browned at the edges of their petals, about 30 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack. 9. Immediately zest the lemon evenly over the top of the tart and sprinkle with the reserved chopped herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature. GARDEN Tulip Time Still running unsupported Windows 7? We’ll help you avoid critical issues by installing Windows 10! Computer not running as fast as when it was new? Let us install lightning-fast solid state drive! For All your Meat processing needs Schedule Early For our Mobile Truck! 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