Stuffed Artichokes

What I love most about eating, cooking, looking at recipes, and talking to other people about food is that no matter how much I think I know about food I always learn something new. I recently spoke with someone who was planning on cooking stuffed artichokes for dinner and I tried to imagine what she was talking about. Stuffing an artichoke? I'd never seen or heard of anyone doing this before but after a simple Google search I discovered that lots of people eat stuffed artichokes and I decided I had to try it for myself. I've never been a huge fan of artichokes, I've only cooked it once, maybe twice at home. I thought it was too much work for such a little reward. A little meat at the end of an inedible leaf and only one heart per artichoke? Jarred artichokes in the supermarket are handy but taste weird, nothing at all like a freshly prepared artichoke hearts.

A few tips will help your final dish really stand out. When choosing an artichoke look for leaves that are tightly packed together; separated leaves means the artichoke is getting old and losing moisture. Choose medium sized artichokes that seem heavy for its size. To clean the artichoke, and make sure no critters hitch a ride into your dinner, fill a large bowl full of cold water and agitate the artichoke under water, holding it upside down by its stem.

One of the things I learned from browsing recipes is that there are a lot of different ways to do it. You can cook it in the oven or on the stove top or even in a pressure cooker if you happen to own one. The ingredients certainly varied but the bones of the recipes were breadcrumbs and cheese. I highly recommend using fresh breadcrumbs as opposed to the prepackaged stuff. The recipe I liked the best came from Epicurious but it has a bit of Anne Burrell too. It's a tad time consuming but really fun to make. First, you make a delicious stuffing of breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley and anchovies (you can use Italian sausage too) and stuff it in the center and in between each leaf of the artichoke. The hard work consists of trimming the artichoke itself. The purple leaves in the center are pokey! It reminded me of an alien mouth with its many layers of leaves. But all the hard work is worth the effort, look at this beauty!

After a 50 minute cook time in a simmering concoction these babies are done and ready to eat. You'll pull apart each leaf and bite off the succulent stuffing and bit of artichoke at the end and discard the leaves. The heart itself is hands down the best part. Take a big bite of the center with a spoonful of stuffing and you'll know what I mean. 

This would be a great dish to make if you were hosting something like, oh.. I don't know.. a bunco party? Wouldn't all your friends be so impressed to see this as your appetizer? What makes it such a party friendly dish is that it can be stuffed up to 1 day ahead so all you have to do is cook them up and throw them on a platter. That's what easy entertaining is all about! Your girlfriends will rave about it, it's the highlight of the party! Well.. maybe not, but give it a try anyway.

An inside look. You'll serve your artichokes whole of course.

Stuffed Artichokes

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Stuffing 

1 1/4 cup fine fresh bread crumbs from an Italian loaf

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (5 cloves) 

1/2 bunch finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 

3 anchovy fillets (or dried Italian sausage)

1 cup finely chopped provolone cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

Artichokes 

2 medium artichokes

1 lemon, halved 

1 cup water, divided 

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided 

1 cup olive oil, divided 

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, divided

Stuffing
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Spread bread crumbs in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then toss with parmesan, garlic, parsley, anchovies, provolone, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Drizzle oil over crumbs and toss to coat.

Trim and stuff artichokes
Cut off artichoke stems and set aside. Cut off top 1/2 inch of 1 artichoke with a serrated knife, then cut about inch off all remaining leaf tips with kitchen shears. Rub cut leaves with a lemon half.

Separate leaves slightly with your thumbs, then pull out purple leaves from center and enough yellow ones to expose fuzzy choke. Scoop out choke with a melon-ball cutter or small spoon, then squeeze some juice from other lemon half into cavity. Repeat with remaining artichoke.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons stuffing into cavity of each artichoke and, starting with bottom leaves and spreading leaves open as much as possible without breaking, spoon a rounded teaspoon stuffing between each leaf.

Cook artichokes
Put 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup broth, 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large pot and arrange the artichokes in liquid in 1 layer. Drizzle with olive oil.

Simmer artichokes, covered, until leaves are tender, about 50 minutes. Transfer cooked artichokes, along with any liquid, to a shallow bowl and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

Transfer artichokes with tongs to shallow soup bowls and spoon cooking liquid around them.

Cooks' notes:

· Stuffing can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.
· Artichokes can be stuffed (but not cooked) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
· Stuffed artichokes can be cooked 4 hours ahead and reheated in a microwave oven.
· Place artichokes under the broil for a final finish to brown the crust and give a nice presentation.



 

 

Time for a Drink

It seems like its been awhile since a drink has been featured on "All Sauced UP" and what is this blog if not an advocate for having a cocktail at 3:00 on a Monday? Not working regular business days, the 'ol Monday through Friday, 9-5 has its pros and cons like most things in life. So before you judge me for being a lush on a Monday afternoon consider that I fell asleep on Friday and Saturday well before midnight completely sober after working all day.

Today is one of my days off this week so why not celebrate with a Moscow Mule? When I mentioned needing ginger beer for this cocktail Joel asked "is that a new thing?" In recent conversation he heard two different people mention liking ginger beer and he had never heard of it. Alas, ginger beer has been around for a LONG time. The Moscow Mule was created sometime in the 1950's and it's a simple cocktail that is delicious and refreshing, something perfect to quench your thirst on a warm Monday afternoon.

Ginger beer is simply a stronger form of ginger ale, and no you don't need to be over 21 to buy it. It's called beer because it's brewed, not because of its alcohol content. So even if you're not in the mood for a drink consider picking some up simply because it's delicious and refreshing on its own. The Moscow Mule got it's name because Americans in the 1950's thought of Russia when they thought of vodka and who knows how to stereotype better than American's?

These directions are simply a guideline, I always use my own eyeball for pouring myself a drink just how I like it.


Moscow Mule
Serves 1

3 oz. vodka (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2/3 cup ginger beer

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy.

The Morel of the Story

 

I love discovering and cooking with foods I've never tried before, I give the credit to my parents who introduced me to a wide range of cuisines as a child. I learned not to be afraid to try things I'd never thought of eating before. It also helped that I had a Vietnamese grandmother who is well regarded even 12 years after her passing for her amazing skills in the kitchen. The lesson? Give your kids a varied diet, they only like mac & cheese because that's all you serve! Throw in some sushi and Indian curry and give them a sophisticated palate at an early age. That is the only parenting advice I'll offer on this blog, I'm actually slightly allergic to children.

Anyway, as I was browsing the produce section at work I saw that our morel mushrooms were on sale for $9.99 a deep discount from the regular price of $14.99. I recalled an episode I saw recently on the Food Network where Anne Burrell cooked morel mushrooms with fresh spring vegetables and how amazing it looked. With the price of these mushrooms it's no wonder I've never tried them before, but the sale price had me putting these fungi in my basket.

Pairing these mushrooms with fresh spring vegetables that are in season is a must. I chose fava beans (another first for me), green beans, and asparagus. Eating vegetables that are in season gives them so much more flavor, plus its more likely to be sourced locally which supports the farmers in your area and that's important!

This recipe is perfect if your having people over and don't want to spend all your time in the kitchen. The vegetables can be blanched well ahead of time and only need to be sauteed briefly before serving. You can even serve the final product at room temperature, it's just as tasty. I'm drawn to recipes that are easy to prepare, I went through a 5 year stage where I only wanted to cook gourmet meals that took hours and hours to prepare and minutes to eat, and while I still respect the time it takes to make some dishes, mainly I just want something quick, easy, and delicious. This certainly fits the bill..

Adapted from a recipe by Anne Burrell
Sauteed Spring Veggies w/ Morel Mushrooms
Serves 6 

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
2 cups green beans, ends removed
1 cup shelled fava beans
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves
1 cup morel mushrooms, rinsed and cut lengthwise in quarters
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
salt

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water and salt it well. Place the vegetables in the boiling water in small batches for 3 minutes and place it immediately in the ice water. Blanch the fava beans last since their iron content turns the water black. After the beans are cooled, remove the tough outer skin. Leave the veggies in the ice bath long enough to cool them completely, if they are warm on the inside your spring veggies will continue to cook and turn mushy.

Melt butter in a large saute pan. Crush the garlic and remove the outer layer and add to the saute pan. Bring the pan to a medium high heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and aromatic remove it from the pan and discard it. This gives the veggies a hint of garlic without overpowering the final dish. Add the mushrooms and stock, season with salt, and saute for 1 minute. Add the prepared veggies, season with salt and saute until all the ingredients are coated with butter and hot and almost all the stock has evaporated. Serve immediately or later at room temperature.

Ramp it Up

I can't remember exactly when I first heard someone mention ramps, but I do remember having absolutely no clue what they were talking about. And in fear of seeming "uncultured" I ignored the part of the conversation that I didn't understand and nodded my head sagely in agreement. Or at least this is what I picture myself doing. At long last I have discovered what in the world ramps are and I can nod my head knowingly without feeling guilty the next time someone brings them up. They are very similar to scallions and leeks, with a bit more of a garlic flavor than its cousins. They are native to North America and only available in the spring which might be why it's taken me so long to discover what they are. I bought a bundle of ramps the other day not knowing what I would use them for and because I have little to no planning skills I bought a fennel and a bunch of rainbow carrots and thought that SURELY I could make something appetizing with this trio.

I've had fennel on only two other occasions and because of it's strong licorice flavor it's not one of my favorite things to eat, but recently for whatever reason, it's wormed its way into my mind and I wanted to give it a try again. The rainbow carrots caught my eye simply because they are beautiful! Look at those colors! They beg you to buy and eat them. Biting into a raw carrot while slicing them for this recipe took me to heaven! Slight exaggeration... but they really are VERY good!

After cutting the ramps away from the green leaves I sliced them thinly with a pairing knife. Don't discard the greens, they are full of flavor and can be used in soups or stocks. I put mine in a freezer bag and added a little bit of water and sucked the air out and popped them in the freezer. Next, cut away the stems from the fennel, remove 1/2 inch off the bottom and cut it in half. Remove the core from each half. Slice thinly, lengthwise. Remove green stems from carrots, wash carrots thoroughly and slice thinly.

In a small bowl crack an egg and add water and beat slightly. Add to fennel mixture and combine with salt, pepper, thyme, and parm cheese. Add to baking dish and top with feta cheese.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add panko breadcrumbs. Watch closely and stir frequently until panko turns light brown and is toasted. Sprinkle panko over baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with more Parmesan cheese just before serving.

The final result: Wow! This stuff is good. And Joel's not here to sample it and affirm what I'm thinking, this is a winner! The fennel pairs perfectly with the delicate flavor of the ramps and the carrots add the needed color to make this dish really stand out. Luckily the licorice emanating from the fennel lessens after cooking and the result is a perfect balance of flavors.

Ramp, Fennel, and Carrot Gratin
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

6 ramps, greens removed, sliced thinly
8 rainbow carrots, sliced thinly
1 medium fennel, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup block feta cheese, sliced thinly
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 2.2 quart baking dish with vegetable spray. In a large bowl combine, ramps, fennel, and carrots. In a small bowl slightly beat egg and add water. Add egg to large bowl and combine thyme, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese; toss gently.  Place in oven proof baking dish and top with feta cheese. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add panko breadcrumbs and stir frequently until panko is toasted, about 3 minutes. Top panko breadcrumbs over dish and bake for 40 minutes.  Allow to cool before serving.


 up next... peanut butter stuffed jalapenos??

Tangy Buttered Beets

Like many people for years my only encounter with beets was during the holidays and out of a can, an unpleasant experience to say the least. I never touched them. I didn't like the texture, color, or smell emanating from the can and it was many years later after college that I was served freshly roasted beets and I'll never forget my surprise that something could taste so different prepared with fresh ingredients. Beets have a buttery, earthy flavor and they are super easy to prepare at home. If tasting delicious isn't enough to sway you to try this recipe then consider that beets pack a nutritional punch as well. They are high in folate, manganese, and potassium and the stems and leafs are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and calcium. So before you go chopping off the stems think twice, they cook up just as nicely as the beets themselves.

Beets come in purple, golden, or pink and white striped varieties and they all work interchangeably in this recipe. Look for beets with unblemished bulbs and bright green unwilted leaves for optimal flavor. First I removed the stems and leaves and washed them under cold running water. Then I used a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the beet root and cut them into quarters and diced them. I decided to try two different styles of preparation. In one pan I used plain tap water to steam the beets and a dijon mustard and tossed it with butter. In the other pot I had red wine vinegar and a spicy southwest mustard with butter. My husband and I both agreed that the red wine vinegar and spicy southwest mustard had more flavor, I thought the dijon had too much of a bite and I liked the subtle mustard flavor of the southwest sauce and a little kick of spice.

Keep a close eye on the level of liquid in your pan, it can scorch easily if left on the stove too long. Beets retain a good deal of their nutrition when steamed for less than 15 minutes if you need another reason to keep a close eye on your timer. I promise this recipe won't disappoint!

Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods Market website.

Tangy Buttered Beets
Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds beets, with stems and greens attached 

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or water)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons spicy southwest mustard (or your favorite fancy mustard)
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash beets and stems thoroughly under cold running water. Remove leafy greens from the stem and set leaves aside. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces. Peel and cut beets into 1-inch chucks and add to a bowl with stems.

Bring red wine vinegar to a boil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add beets and stems, cover and cook until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle greens over the top, cover again and cook until beets, stems and greens are tender, adding more liquid if needed, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, toss with butter, spicy mustard, salt and pepper and serve hot, at room temperature or cold.

Curry Shrimp Salad

 

All of our camera equipment has finally arrived and I've been practicing using a tripod and learning more about photography from my very patient husband. I've already discovered how important lighting is and with our apartment facing another building good lighting can be hard to come by, but it's been fun experimenting. On top of learning how to operate our new camera I've also been practicing sprucing them up on photoshop. That's a lot to learn for a girl like me who can never remember where I put my purse let alone keep up with aperture and ISO talk. 

I know my last post also featured shrimp as the main ingredient but it was on sale at the grocery store where I work and I couldn't resist buying it and thinking of a dish to incorporate it in. I got my inspiration from the cookbook "The Best Recipe" which is an excellent resource for any home cook. They test and re-test every recipe to find the best results (and here I go changing it). The originial recipe calls for chicken in place of shrimp and chili powder in place of curry so if you don't have curry powder hanging around feel free to experiment. I used shrimp because my husband very rarely eats meat, only on special occasions, or if it would seem rude not to. While we were traveling around Vietnam we encountered a few occasions where language was a major barrier and while we communicated well that we wanted to eat, what exactly we wanted to eat was much harder to convey. But my lovely husband ate his pho that was loaded with 3 kinds of red meat without complaint after I was told over and over that refusing food was a huge insult in Vietnamese culture. Plus we were on an adventure and some rules are meant to be broken. But on an everyday basis we happily eat only beans, grains, and vegetables and occasionally seafood that is sustainable and with no added preservatives or color enhancers, of course! You are what you eat after all and it's important for us to know where our food comes from and to make sure it's sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers.  


Placing the salad in a cup of butter lettuce makes for an excellent eye popping presentation and gives it a soft bite as you dig in. Butter lettuce has a sweet flavor and tender texture which pairs nicely with the curry shrimp salad. It's quite tasty and got two thumbs up from my better half. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

 

Adapted from the cookbook "The Best Recipe"
Curry Shrimp Salad
Serves 4

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1 avocado, diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced

Heat broiler. Mix curry powder, cumin, and salt to taste in a small bowl. Cover shrimp with vegetable oil and add spice mixture, coating evenly with a large spoon. Broil shrimp, stirring once, until shrimp is cooked, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Place diced tomato and avocado in a medium bowl and squeeze 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over mixture to prevent browning of the avocado.

Whisk yogurt, olive oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl.

Once shrimp has cooled chop each shrimp into 3 pieces and add to tomato and avocado mixture. Toss lightly. Gently fold yogurt dressing into shrimp mixture until combined.

Serve on a leaf of butter lettuce.

 

Salsa Shrimp

Well I survived St. Patrick's Day in the Windy City. The throngs of green shirts and shamrocks could be seen for miles and miles, it was really quite a sight to behold. I may chalk this one up to a fairly enjoyable experience and think fondly of it only in my memory because I'm not sure I'm likely to brave the crowds and dodge puddles of "you know what" (I'm too much of a lady to use such language) but it tends to happen to many who imbibe in too many spirits at such an early time of the day. The green river was a sight to behold, that alone was worth battling the crowds on the train but since I have a picture of it I'm more likely to stay inside where it's safe rather than battle the crowds again next year.

 

The unseasonably warm weather here in Chicago has thrown a lot of people off and while I love that I had to open the box under the bed labeled "summer clothes" it's thrown me off in the kitchen. While outside it's lovely, the warm sun and cool breeze on your face would make anyone happy I just can't find my groove in our tiny apartment where all the heat in the city seems to accumulate. I mean it is HOT, take off all your clothes and take an icy shower hot and I'm so scared for July and August to arrive that I tremble in fear of what that means for long restless nights finding that cool spot on your pillow.

Despite the heat I turned the oven on to make this simple yet tasty shrimp appetizer, or entree if you so desire. The result was worth it but I won't be back in the kitchen anytime soon, it will take a few hours for the heat to fully dissipate. I foresee many salads and other simply prepared foods in my future..

I came across this recipe for Salsa Shrimp in a Northwest Fresh magazine that featured an article about Tobey Rodriguez, a cake decorator in Seattle who I had the honor of taking a class from. And while I'll never be able to pipe roses as beautifully as she can I gained a lot of information and a new appreciation for cake decorators. This simple dish is easy to put together and can make an elegant presentation for any get together with friends and family. As always, your dish will only be as good as your ingredients. Make sure your shrimp is fresh, when you get home from the store put your shrimp on ice and store it in the refrigerator if you're not going to use it right away. Shrimp spoils easily and needs to be kept at 34 degrees, most refrigerators are set around 41 degrees. Ensure that your shrimp is not mushy and a healthy pink color. Your nose is invaluable at detecting the freshness of shrimp, if you smell any fishy or other off odors your shrimp is spoiled. Also, the salsa in this recipe plays a big part with the other flavors, so be sure to use a quality brand. I recommend making your own favorite homemade salsa or choosing a pre-made salsa that you know you enjoy.  I can't imagine using Pace Picante Sauce in this recipe, but if you know you like then go for it. I used a pre-made salsa from Whole Foods Market and it was delicious. It had just the right consistency (not too thick) and just enough kick and flavor that I knew it would work beautifully.

Salsa Shrimp

1 pound fresh or frozen, thawed shrimp
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh salsa
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
sliced fresh baguette bread (for dipping)

Shell and devein shrimp if necessary; rinse and pat dry. Place butter in oven-proof dish; stir in salsa, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and shrimp. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and arrange on a serving plate with baguette slices. Pour sauce from baking dish into a serving bowl and serve alongside. Makes 15-20 appetizers.