Flowfit

These are one of our favorite appetizers.  It’s what I call, “interactive food”.  It’s great for making everyone slow down, relax, eat and enjoy each other!  Super easy to prepare but it does take a while to eat.  I promise you though, each teeny bite is totally worth it!

Poached Artichokes

Makes 4 (can easily be doubled)

• 4 whole fresh artichokes, washed
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp earth balance buttery spread
• 1 tsp dried herbs of choice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

To prepare artichokes:

Artichokes can be prickly… some more than others.  I like to snip the ends off the “petals”, so no one pulls on a spine – ouch!  See picture.  Once tips are cut, rub with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Cut stem from artichokes and sit in bottom of pot.  Pour in wine and lemon juice.  Sprinkle in green onions, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper.  Dollop butter on top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Cover and simmer for an hour or until a sharp knife easily goes into top of artichoke.  Check frequently for liquid evaporation.  Add water 1/4 cup at a time if needed.

To Serve:

Place each cooked artichoke in small individual bowl.  Use any left over sauce to drizzle over tops of artichokes.  To eat, simply pull off “petals” and using top teeth, bite off small amount of meat.  It is a slow but loving process eating an artichoke.  Once you get to the center, you will find the “choke”.  You’ll know you’re there because it will appear hairy.  Using a teaspoon, dig into the side and dig out the choke.  Once the choke is removed you can eat the heart….. which is totally worth the wait.

YUM!

Tags: artichokes, butter, garlic, herbs, wine

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 7:42 pm and is filed under FOOD AND WINE, RECIPES, Sides and Starters, Vegetarian and Vegan Dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.