Exotic Artichoke Recipes

The artichoke, the recipes of which we will describe today, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Aster family, the genus Cynara. The main distribution area covers the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean( more than 10 plant species grow in this zone).

Selection and storage rules

Before you start cooking, you need to select a product. It should be fresh fruit with tightly fitting leaves. Take the artichoke in your hands - when ripe, it should be quite heavy and firm when pressed, otherwise it is believed that the buds are not fresh and stale. Also pay attention to the color - it should be smooth and not contain brown spots. The question immediately arises, what kind of artichoke tastes. It is a bit like a walnut, only with some savory flavor.

The size of the selected fruits is not important, but remember that when preparing their diameter is significantly reduced, therefore for cooking it is necessary to take the weight of the product two times more than necessary.

Store artichokes for a week in a cold place, previously placed in the package. Boiled fruits should either be eaten immediately or frozen, otherwise they will get a black tint and a bitter taste.

Culinary masterpieces of

Of all the variety, only two kinds of food are used: a sowing campaign( otherwise it is called a spiny Cynara scolumis) and a cardone( known as the Spanish artichoke Cynara cardunculus).At the first representative, only meaty receptacles are suitable for food, i.e.bottom( bud base), in the second - fleshy petioles of basal leaves. According to the recipes from artichokes prepare a lot of delicious dishes: salads, hot and cold, pizzas, pies, pastes and even baked goods.

Marinated artichoke

Marinated artichokes are not only healthy but also very tasty. True, the preparation of fruits requires prior preparation, otherwise it will be impossible to eat them.

Marinating four medium sized fruits will require 2 lemons, 3 liters of water, and spices. As the last taken: 3 sprigs of fresh parsley, a couple of cloves of garlic, 0.3 liters of olive oil, salt and pepper according to preferences and balsamic vinegar in the amount of 2 tbsp.l

So, consider how to cook a marinade artichoke:

1. To begin with, prepare lemon water by squeezing out the juice of one citrus into a deep container filled with 3 liters of water.
2. The next step is to prepare artichokes. In the course are large and fleshy.
3. The fruits are thoroughly washed from dirt and sand grains caught in the petals, dried on a paper towel. Next, with the help of kitchen scissors cut hard scales and scrape the hard upper skin off the stem.
4. Also cut off about 1-2 cm from the top of the bud. Next you need to remove the hairy inedible part. The most convenient way to do this is with a tablespoon, but so as not to damage the fleshy part of the fruit. As a result, you should get a soft bottom, which goes into cooking.
5. Purified buds are cut into two halves and again washed thoroughly.
6. Since artichokes darken quickly - they are immediately put in lemon water for 5-10 minutes. This will help keep the color of the petals.
7. Start cooking. The contents of the container are poured into a saucepan, put on the fire and brought to a boil, after which they reduce the heat to medium and boil the buds for 30-40 minutes. It all depends on their maturity and density.
8. Readiness of artichokes will be checked with a fork - it should be immersed in the pulp freely. Cooked fruits are removed and allowed to cool.
9. Meanwhile, marinade is prepared from washed and chopped parsley, pressed through a press of garlic, salt, and pepper. Also pour in vinegar and oil to taste.
10. When the artichokes have cooled, they are slightly squeezed from the water, cut into smaller pieces( not very finely), spread in a sterilized jar beforehand and filled with marinade. The jar is tightly closed with a lid and sent to the refrigerator for two hours.

Pickled artichokes can be used as a cold snack, or go for cooking other dishes. For example, from them prepare very tasty salads with artichokes.

While cooking, you can take your own set of spices, for example, thyme, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, hot pepper, as well as any other vegetable oil.

Stuffed Artichokes

Want to add a bit of exotic to your diet? Prepare a hearty, juicy and incredibly tasty artichoke dish - stuff them.

For the preparation, take the ratio of 6 buds and ground beef 0.3 kg. Additionally, you need one lemon, 6 potato tubers, 3 tbsp.llemon juice, as much olive or any other vegetable oil, a bunch of fresh parsley, spices and salt according to preferences:

1. First prepare the artichokes, as in the previous recipe, and soaked in lemon water.
2. Fry minced meat with finely chopped onions in a hot pan with butter. There also add spices and parsley and stew until tender.
3. Now stuffed artichokes, laying the stuffing in the middle and between the petals.
4. Potatoes are peeled, cut into cubes, placed in a pressure cooker, watered with vegetable oil, and stuffed buds are laid on top. Pour in some water and stew for about 20 minutes until the dish is completely cooked.

If there is no pressure cooker, you can use a thick-bottomed saucepan or a deep frying pan.

Video recipe for making artichokes in a frying pan

Pasta with artichokes, spinach and cheese

Thanks to the perfect combination of products, the dish is incredibly tasty and satisfying. In addition, it is suitable not only for a family dinner, but also for guests.

To make this artichoke recipe, you will need 2 cups of pasta, ½ ct canned and already chopped artichokes. In the same amount of fresh chopped onion and spinach. You will also need 3 garlic cloves, 0.5 tsp.garlic salt, a glass of cream, 2 tbsp.lcorn starch, salt and pepper to taste. From cheeses use grated Swiss cheese, parmesan and mozzarella in the amount of 1 tbsp: ¼ St.: 2 tbsp.respectively. Also in the dish used 225 g of cream cheese.

Cooking process:

1. Boil the pasta and drain in a colander. Work quickly so that the pasta is cold.
2. Chopped canned artichokes with spinach, onions, garlic passed through a press and grated cheese mixed in a container until smooth.
3. Add hot pasta and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour in the cream, mix and spread in a baking dish, after having lubricated it with butter.
5. Spread the mass equally in shape, sprinkled with a small amount of grated mozzarella.
6. Send to the oven to cook at 200 ° C until the cheese melts and I have the appetizing crust.

The finished dish is served hot, as a whole, and cut into portions.

Artichokes in the Markijan style - video

As you can see, the recipes for making artichokes are simple, you just need to properly prepare the fruit. With an effort, you get a lot of delicious dishes that will always be present on your table.

How to clean and cook artichokes - video