Whole Steamed Artichokes with Tomato-Basil Salad Recipe

whole steamed artichokes with tomato-basil salad | pamela salzman

I remember the first time I ate an artichoke, I really ate the artichoke.  Or at least I tried to.  I had no idea that I was supposed to scrape the meat off of the leaves with my teeth and not (attempt) to eat the entire thing.  Ooops.  I just kept chewing and chewing and chewing and thinking, “why on earth do people love artichokes so much?  This is terrible!”  Fortunately, I was taught how to properly eat an artichoke before I swore them off for good.

artichokes

how to prep a whole artichoke

But for many years I thought artichokes were too intimidating to cook at home, and were only a special treat to be ordered in restaurants.  Until one day I saw my grandmother making stuffed artichokes and I quietly stood by and took mental notes.  I’m sure you know what I am about to say.  So easy!  Really, once you learn how to trim an artichoke, the rest is a piece of cake.  I am hoping these photos can help you get past any artichoke anxiety you might have.

ready to be steamed

cooking artichokes

Artichokes are so versatile.  You can eat them hot, warm, room temperature, even cold.  It’s fun to dip the leaves into a sauce or a vinaigrette before nibbling the tender meat on the bottom of the leaves.  Mayonnaise sauces are probably the most popular, but I prefer to keep things lighter and fresher.  I love this artichoke preparation which I first had at the Ivy Restaurant in LA.  I could eat tomato-basil salad on most anything, from fish and chicken to pasta and toast.  On artichokes, this classic combo is just as delicious, with the juice from the tomatoes creating a vinaigrette of sorts with the olive oil.  Love it!

cleaning out the choke

get the chokes out

Artichokes are a good source of folate, fiber, and vitamins C and K. Artichokes are also packed with antioxidants; they’re number 7 on the USDA’s top 20 antioxidant-rich foods list.  I also read somewhere that artichokes used to be considered an aphrodisiac.  Well now.

cleaned out and ready to be filled

tomato-basil salad

I was advised by my produce friends at Grow in Manhattan Beach that artichokes are more tender when the leaves are more closed and tighter than more open.  A little frostbite on the outer leaves is completely fine, just check to make sure the stems don’t have any evidence of rot.  They’re in season now, so get them while you can!

whole steamed artichokes with tomato-basil salad

Whole Steamed Artichokes with Tomato-Basil Salad

Pamela
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Servings 3 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 whole artichokes washed
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lemon halved
  • 1 ½ pints cherry tomatoes quartered (you can also use an equivalent amount of whole fresh tomatoes, diced, when they are in season)
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove minced (or crushed for a more subtle garlic flavor)
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Trim the artichokes: Remove the outer layer of small, tough leaves from the stem end. Trim the stem to create a flat bottom and discard cut stem. With a very sharp serrated knife, cut off the top 1 inch of each artichoke. Use scissors to snip the thorny tips of the remaining leaves. Artichokes should fit into your pot so that the lid fits tightly.
  • Cook the artichokes: Fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of water and add the garlic, bay leaves and lemon. Arrange the artichokes in the saucepan STEM SIDE UP. Bring water to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer. Steam artichokes for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size) or until stem can be pierced easily with a knife. Remove artichokes from the saucepan and set aside until cool enough to handle. I like to put them in a colander stem side up to cool.
  • Make the salad: In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Remove the chokes: Pull out the center leaves of the artichoke. They are the ones that are closed together and light purple at the top. Underneath that you will see the spiky, lighter leaves around the heart. The fuzzy choke is hidden underneath. With a spoon, scoop out the spiky leaves and the choke and discard. Take care not to remove too much of the meaty heart which sits just underneath the choke. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
  • Arrange artichokes on a platter and spoon tomato salad into each of the cleaned out artichokes.

Notes

These can be served warm, room temperature or cold.  Artichokes can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.  After removing the choke, they can also be quartered, brushed with oil and grilled.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Chicken adobo recipe

Well, dear people, all good things come to an end and our trip to England came and went too quickly.  We had such a good time and just as importantly, we traveled there and back in one piece.  But there was way too much to see and I am already thinking about when we can go back.  Even the food was better than expected!  I didn’t say it was the most nutritious fare, but we had very delicious meals.  I used to get stressed out about eating on vacation since it isn’t always easy to find kale salads and date-sweetened muffins when you’re away.  I have since let that thinking go since I realize that that kind of negative thinking can’t be doing anything good for my body.  However, this trip I think I may have “enjoyed” the local cuisine a little too much.  It’s one thing to eat a scone and it’s another to eat three.  At one time.  With clotted cream.

Alas, I eagerly pulled out my juicer as soon as I returned home and got back to a simpler way of eating.  It’s a weird feeling for me to not cook at all for 8 days, so I was perfectly happy to get back in the kitchen and make all my familiar staples, quinoa and millet, almond milk, and lots of fresh veggies.  For our first dinner home I made chicken adobo, one of the easiest things I can make that everyone likes.  It is a traditional Filipino dish where chicken or pork are braised in vinegar and soy sauce with garlic. It’s a little sour, a little salty and a touch of sweet.  And the soy really tenderizes the chicken so that it’s super soft.  I usually shred it for the kids and serve it over rice with a green vegetable on the side.  Simple dimple!

This dish is really only made with thighs and/or drumsticks and there’s a reason for that.  Breast meat gets too dried out when simmered.  I tried this with breast meat and it just wasn’t as good as the dark meat.  What I will say is that because the sauce is dark, no one will know that the thighs are thighs and not white meat.  I have made a few variations of chicken adobo and I’m giving you the easiest here with boneless, skinless chicken pieces.  If you use pieces with the skin, you’ll end up having to brown the chicken to start in order to render some of the fat from the skin and to make it look more attractive (rubbery chicken skin gives me the creeps.)  My family doesn’t eat the skin anyway so it was an easy decision for me to leave it out.  This isn’t the most beautiful chicken dish you’ll ever eat, but I make no apologies because it’s very tasty and beyond easy!  Also, it’s way more healthful to cook animal protein in a liquid or by steaming.  A few carcinogens are created anytime animal protein comes into contact with high heat, like a pan or a grill.  Total bummer, but that’s the facts.

I think you could also make a chicken adobo rice “bowl” with a big scoop of rice, shredded chicken and some steamed or roasted vegetables with a few spoonfuls of sauce on top.  Believe me, no matter how you make it, this is a no-brainer for a busy weeknight especially if you’ve been on vacation from the kitchen for a bit!

 

Chicken Adobo

Pamela
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • ¼ cup naturally brewed soy sauce or shoyu or GF tamari I like Ohsawa
  • 4 whole garlic cloves crushed
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs and/or drumsticks bone-in or boneless* (I used 8 boneless thighs)
  • 1/3 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Mix vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns in a container just small large enough to hold the chicken, such as a glass mixing bowl or a small Pyrex. Cover and marinate 1 hour to overnight. Longer is better.
  • Transfer chicken and marinade to a medium or large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes.
  • Uncover, raise the heat and gently boil an additional 10 minutes to reduce sauce. Serve hot over steamed rice.

Notes

*Breasts don’t work well here. Skin-on chicken is fine, but the skin doesn’t look attractive unless you broil or brown it after.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!