Artichokes

Baked Artichoke Hearts (4 to 6 servings)

2 lb. baby artichoke hearts, cleaned and cooked or
2 10 oz. packages frozen hearts, cooked or
2 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained and halved
2 to 3 TB best quality olive oil
1 TB butter
2 to 3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovy fillets
2 to 3 slices crusty Italian bread, such as Pugliesi
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1/3 cup Romano cheese, grated

Process the bread in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Heat 2 TB. olive oil and the butter in a skillet until bubbly. Add garlic and anchovy to skillet and mash into a paste. Add breadcrumbs and toast over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy. Remove from heat and add the parsley, grated cheese and a few twists of pepper. Coat a shallow baking pan with the remaining TB olive oil and place hearts in dish, cut side down. Top with crumb mixture and bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and brown.
If you would like to serve something a little special with the Sunday roast, roast halved baby red potatoes, halved cremini mushrooms and frozen artichoke hearts in olive oil in a 500 degree oven until crisp. (about 20 minutes)

The following recipe is perfect for an elegant dinner, where the messiness associated with a stuffed artichoke would be out of place, but you still want the great taste of the vegetable

Cream of Artichoke Soup (Serves 4)

1 10 oz. box frozen artichoke hearts, diced
2 TB olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. thyme
2 TB flour
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
Kosher salt and black or white pepper

Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium low heat. Do not allow the onion to color. Add the artichoke hearts. Cover and cook until tender (10 to 15 minutes). Add 1/2 tsp. salt, thyme and flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock and simmer until the artichokes are very tender. Puree and strain the soup and finish with the cream, salt and pepper.

	Artichokes
The time is approaching on the California culinary calendar when the tail end of Dungeness crab season overlaps the beginning of artichoke season and the opportunity presents for one of the most decadent and delicious dinners possible. Start with tiny baby artichokes, which have been steamed and then finished in olive oil, garlic and toasted Italian breadcrumbs, dig into a boiled crab, cooked live and pulled out of the tank that morning. Treat yourself to really chewy peasant bread, maybe a green salad and plenty of dry white wine. This meal is best eaten in the company of old friends who know the gag lines of your favorite stories and will laugh anew anyway. When I sent our Christmas package to my geographically disadvantaged sister-in-law in the East, I include a few of the biggest artichokes I can find. She likes the kind that take two hands to hold, but many people locally think that the small to medium chokes have the best flavor. You can sometimes find a real bargain on the smallest chokes that have the added advantage of being too young for the thistly choke to have formed. For the following recipe, cut off the top third of the tiny chokes, cut in half lengthwise and cook in acidulated salted water until the chokes are tender. A bit more expensive, but still very good are frozen hearts, which should be pre-cooked. Canned artichoke hearts would be my last choice, but they lack the same flavor. Canned are certainly cheaper and very convenient. Sue Kleber		Baked Artichoke Hearts (4 to 6 servings) 2 lb. baby artichoke hearts, cleaned and cooked or 2 10 oz. packages frozen hearts, cooked or 2 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained and halved 2 to 3 TB best quality olive oil 1 TB butter 2 to 3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced 6 anchovy fillets 2 to 3 slices crusty Italian bread, such as Pugliesi 1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced 1/3 cup Romano cheese, grated Process the bread in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Heat 2 TB. olive oil and the butter in a skillet until bubbly. Add garlic and anchovy to skillet and mash into a paste. Add breadcrumbs and toast over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy. Remove from heat and add the parsley, grated cheese and a few twists of pepper. Coat a shallow baking pan with the remaining TB olive oil and place hearts in dish, cut side down. Top with crumb mixture and bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and brown. If you would like to serve something a little special with the Sunday roast, roast halved baby red potatoes, halved cremini mushrooms and frozen artichoke hearts in olive oil in a 500 degree oven until crisp. (about 20 minutes) The following recipe is perfect for an elegant dinner, where the messiness associated with a stuffed artichoke would be out of place, but you still want the great taste of the vegetable Cream of Artichoke Soup (Serves 4) 1 10 oz. box frozen artichoke hearts, diced 2 TB olive oil 1 cup minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 tsp. thyme 2 TB flour 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup cream Kosher salt and black or white pepper Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium low heat. Do not allow the onion to color. Add the artichoke hearts. Cover and cook until tender (10 to 15 minutes). Add 1/2 tsp. salt, thyme and flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock and simmer until the artichokes are very tender. Puree and strain the soup and finish with the cream, salt and pepper.
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