Artichokes Braised With Saffron Black Olives And Almonds Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into a large bowl of water. Discard the outer leaves of each artichoke. As you do so, and as you continue cleaning the artichokes, dip them into the lemon water to stop the cut sides from browning. Use a paring knife to peel the base and stems. Slice off the top third of each artichoke. Slice the artichokes in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon or grapefruit spoon, scoop out the hairy chokes inside, pulling out any prickly purple leaves as well. Slice each half into three pieces. Put trimmed artichoke pieces in lemon water until needed.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and sear in batches until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Add artichokes and garlic to pan, adding more oil if needed, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute more.
• Pour in wine and stir in olives, rosemary branches and grated zest of 1/2 lemon. (Do not discard after zesting.) Return chicken to pan. Bring liquid to a simmer.
• Cover pan and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. (Check white meat after 25 minutes and remove from oven if done.) Transfer chicken to a plate and place skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer until pan juices thicken and become saucelike, about 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in butter.
• Return chicken to pan and sprinkle with cheese. Adjust oven heat to broil and place pan in the oven until cheese is melted and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it does not burn.) Squeeze juice of remaining lemon half over pan and serve garnished with chives or mint if you like.

STEAMED ARTICHOKES WITH ALMOND SAFFRON DIP

Steps:

• Arrange the artichokes in a steamer basket set over at least 3 cups of water and steam, covered, until the leaves can be easily removed, about 1 hour. Let cool. About halfway through cooking check the water level and add more, if necessary.
• In a small bowl, stir together saffron and the tablespoon of boiling water. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the almonds and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. In a food processor, grind the almonds until finely chopped. Add the saffron mixture, onion mixture, yogurt and parsley and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with the artichokes.

BAKED ARTICHOKES WITH OLIVES AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• In a shallow Dutch oven or braising pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the olives, white wine and capers and cook about 2 minutes.
• Halve 6 of the cleaned artichokes and place them in the braising liquid. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and season with salt and pepper. Be sure to taste, as the olives and capers can make the sauce very salty. Cover the mixture, bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat until the artichokes are tender (a knife should go through without resistance) and the liquid has reduced by half, about 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drop dollops of the ricotta cheese on each artichoke, then top with the grated Pecorino. Bake in the oven covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat 2 inches canola oil in a Dutch oven or fryer to 350 degrees F. Slice the remaining 2 artichokes extremely thin using a mandolin slicer or by hand. Pat the slices dry with paper towels. Drop the artichoke slices into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.
• Top the baked artichoke with the fried artichoke slices and tarragon serve.

ARTICHOKES BRAISED WITH SAFFRON, BLACK OLIVES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• 1. Trim the artichokes. If using mediums, quarter them lengthwise. Place them in a bowl of acidulated water (water with a little vinegar, lemon or lime juice) to prevent discoloration. Drain. 2. Cook the artichokes, garlic, red pepper flakes, saffron, orange zest, salt, olive oil and water over medium heat in a large, covered skillet until the artichokes are tender, about 15 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to stir the contents. If necessary, add a little more water to keep the bottom covered. 3. When the artichokes are easily pierced with a knife, remove the lid and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until only a thin coating of liquid remains on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. 4. Add the orange juice, olives, almonds and parsley, and cook, stirring, just until they are heated through. Serve warm. Each serving: 177 calories; 3 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 399 mg. sodium.

ARTICHOKES BRAISED IN LEMON AND OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Trim artichokes into hearts:
• Add lemon halves to a large bowl of cold water, squeezing to release juice.
• Cut off top inch of 1 artichoke and bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base (keep stem attached). Discard several more layers in same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves.
• Cut remaining leaves flush with top of artichoke bottom using a sharp knife. Trim dark green fibrous parts from base and sides of artichoke.
• Peel sides of stem down to pale inner core. Put in lemon water while preparing remaining artichokes.
• Cook shallots, carrot, garlic, and seeds in 1/4 cup oil in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot (pot should be wide enough to hold artichokes in 1 layer with stems pointing upward) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add water, zest, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Stand artichokes in pot and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover artichokes with wax paper, then a lid, and simmer over medium-low heat until bases are just tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Transfer artichokes to a dish and reserve cooking liquid. When artichokes are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise. Scoop out and discard inner choke (fuzzy center and any sharp leaves).
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown cut sides of artichokes in 2 batches, about 2 minutes per batch, transferring to a serving dish. Add reserved cooking liquid to skillet along with remaining tablespoon lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Boil vigorously 3 minutes, then stir in parsley and pour over artichokes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ARTICHOKES BRAISED WITH SAFFRON, BLACK OLIVES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• 1. Trim the artichokes. If using mediums, quarter them lengthwise. Place them in a bowl of acidulated water (water with a little vinegar, lemon or lime juice) to prevent discoloration. Drain. 2. Cook the artichokes, garlic, red pepper flakes, saffron, orange zest, salt, olive oil and water over medium heat in a large, covered skillet until the artichokes are tender, about 15 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to stir the contents. If necessary, add a little more water to keep the bottom covered. 3. When the artichokes are easily pierced with a knife, remove the lid and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until only a thin coating of liquid remains on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. 4. Add the orange juice, olives, almonds and parsley, and cook, stirring, just until they are heated through. Serve warm. Each serving: 177 calories; 3 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 399 mg. sodium.