Purple Artichokes with Lemon and Capers a Delicious Side Dish
Artichokes are a harbinger of the warmer months ahead. It’s common to find purple artichoke – les petit violets in Provencal markets. These smaller artichokes are a purple globe variety, with a nuttier flavour than the larger green globe version. Since culinary historians believe that Catherine de Medici introduced the artichoke to French cuisine, I added some Italian flavours to this dish with garlic aïoli, parmesan, lemon and capers.
Seared Violet Artichokes with Aïoli, Lemon, Capers & Parmesan
These small artichokes are a delicious side dish.
Ingredients
- 6 small Purple Artichokes
- Olive Oil extra virgin
- Salt
- pepper freshly ground
- 2 lemons
- lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf (Italian) parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp capers drained and lightly fried in oil
- Parmesan cheese shaved with a flat peeler (about 20 shavings)
Instructions
- Clean the artichokes and carefully remove the tough outer leaves.
- In a medium stock pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 cut lemon (rough wedges are fine) to a boil.
- Using a peeler, peel the stem and shape the outside of the heart.
- Cut the artichoke in half, from tip to stem, exposing the thistle but not removing it.
- Use half of a cut lemon to coat the artichokes at every step to prevent oxidation (this happens almost instantly).
- Boil the artichokes in boiling water with the lemons for 10 to 15 minutes. Use a paring knife in the thickest part of the heart to check doneness. (You’ll want to feel that the knife enters and exits very easily.)
- Carefully remove the artichokes from the pot, let them drain and cool, and cut the side down on a paper towel.
- Once cool enough to handle, use a small spoon to remove the thistle from each artichoke half carefully. They should come out easily now that they’re fully cooked.
- Once cleaned, the artichokes can be kept covered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, turn the artichokes cut side up, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Brown artichokes under the grill/broiler, on a hot barbecue or in a hot skillet.
- Once browned and warmed through, remove them from the heat and plate them cut-side up.
- Season them with fresh lemon juice and top with plenty of garlic aioli, Parmesan shavings, capers, and parsley.
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