Big Hearts Come In Small Packages
Whoever the first person was that decided an artichoke was edible must have been both masochistic and extremely dedicated. When that first person made it past the layers of spiny leaves, no doubt pricking his fingers endlessly, those tough outer leaves peeled away to reveal an increasingly tender and edible interior set of leaves. And when all the leaves were gone, somehow that person discovered that the peeled stem and the “heart” of the choke was perhaps the best part of what started out as a rather menacing looking green flower.
Whether it was one person or a collective of individuals who cultivated it in the Mediterranean, the artichoke has been over a thousand years of history part of the diet of the Western world. Although there are other types of vegetables called “artichoke” such as the Jerusalem and Japanese, the one we are used to eating is the commercially grown globe artichoke. That species of artichoke continues to be grown in the Mediterranean, parts of South America, and is cultivated in California. It can be seen in its classic green form, as well as purple and spiny.
Artichokes are eaten for their leaves and their hearts, or their hearts alone. The classic artichoke vinaigrette involves little more than steaming or boiling the whole artichoke then serving it alongside a dipping sauce or clarified butter. Occasionally the leaves are stuffed with breadcrumbs and then roasted to finish off the cooking. The artichoke can also be trimmed completely of its leaves and the stem peeled to reveal just the heart. At that point the heart can be blanched then sliced to serve alongside fish and meats. The hearts are also fantastic for grilling with little more than olive oil and lemon juice.
As much as I have been trying to find a way to work artichokes into this 30 minutes meal column, the fact is that artichokes are a time consuming beast of a vegetable to both prep and cook. If meant to be eaten for the leaves, the leaves of the whole artichoke must be trimmed of its spiny ends, then either boiled or steamed for anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. Lucky for those of us short on time in the kitchen, artichoke hearts are widely available canned, in water or jarred in oil and marinade. Canned artichoke hearts can then quickly be added to everything from salads to pastas.
As great as canned shortcuts can be, there is still nothing like the real thing. With this in mind, it has been to my great delight that baby artichokes have been popping up just about everywhere. The brilliant thing about baby artichokes is that unlike the large variety, the majority of the baby artichoke can be eaten. And because most of it can be eaten, less prep is involved, which drastically cuts down on total cooking time. Of course, because they are smaller than their full-sized big brother artichokes, the babies can be cooked in a matter of minutes.
To prep a baby artichoke, peel away a few layers of the outer leaves until the leaves that remain are just 1/3 green at the very top. Use a sharp knife to trim away the spiny top of the baby artichoke. Use a sharp paring knife to trim the end off the stem and peel the outer layer of the stem away. At this point the artichoke is ready to go. It can be cut in half, quarters, or kept whole. Just drop into a bowl of water with lemon juice in it to prevent discoloring while the rest of the artichokes are prepped. Once ready, baby artichokes take no more than 5-10 minutes to cook whether sautéing, grilling, or roasting.
It is sometimes hard to fathom when looking at the imposing exterior of the artichoke how anyone decided that it had potential to be an edible delicacy. One taste of a perfectly cooked artichoke heart and it is easy to stop wondering why, once cultivated, it has remained one of the most sought after vegetables in the Western world. And now with baby artichokes available at your local market, the delicious mystery buried beneath the spiny green exterior can be had every day in a matter of minutes.
Made with cherry tomatoes, baby artichokes, lemons, snapper fillets, salt and pepper, oregano, olive oil, vegetable oil
Serves/Makes: 4
- 12 baby artichokes
- 2 lemons
- 4 whole snapper fillets, skin on
- salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
Prep baby artichokes by peeling leaves off until the remaining leaves are only one-third green. Trim 1/2-inch off the top of the artichoke. Trim end and peel off outer layer of stem.
Cut artichoke in half lengthwise and place in a bowl of cold water with the juice of one lemon. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
Preheat two large saute pans over medium high heat with two tablespoons of vegetable oil in each pan. Preheat a third large saute pan over medium heat with 1/4 cup olive oil.
Season fish fillets with salt and pepper on flesh side and just pepper on skin side. Rub a bit of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano onto each fillet on the flesh side.
Add the artichokes to the pan with the olive oil, seasoning artichokes with salt and pepper. Add fish to the other two saute pans skin side down. Cook fish for about 3 minutes per side until cooked through.
Saute artichokes for 5-10 minutes depending on their size, until a paring knife can easily pierce through the stem.
When artichokes are almost done, add the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Saute for another 2 minutes adding additional salt and pepper and extra olive oil if necessary. Squeeze juice of remaining lemon over artichokes and tomatoes.
To serve, plate one snapper fillet with a serving of artichokes and tomatoes. Drizzle plate with extra virgin olive oil.
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