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
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