Artichoke & Co.

I have a new favorite party appetizer: steamed artichokes. The veggie I looked least-forward to preparing has now won me over completely.

I once shied away from the prickly-looking bulb, fearing what might lie beneath those green layers. Sure, I had enjoyed an artichoke or two in my time, but never from my own kitchen. When I saw the green masses shining prettily at the grocery, I knew it was time to buck up.

First, I did my research. To my amusement, I stumbled across a Tyler Florence recipe that sounded divine. So I got to work. You have to do a lot of preparation to make a steamed artichoke, I learned. First, cut off the stem, so the artichoke sits flat. Next, cut off the top 1/3 of the bulb, exposing some of the center. Then get rid of all pointy leaf edges with your shears:

I pre-made my broth, the night before our dinner party, so all I had to do day-of was heat up and steam. When we have week-night dinner parties, I try to do as much ahead of time as possible. Day of, I like to worry about things like filling water cups, lighting candles, putting away tennis shoes, etc.

The broth was simple with pantry ingredients such as chicken broth, lemon, thyme, white wine and garlic. When the broth got nice and boily, I prepared an...eh-hem...make-shift steamer out of my mesh strainer/skimmer in combo with my dutch oven. The result was actually quite a success and worked out to look like this:

I let the artichoke sit for roughly 45 minutes. During that time, I bathed it in broth on occasion, and added more white wine and water when the liquid ran too low (otherwise you'll end up with a burned garlic disaster).

Be forewarned that the inside of an artichoke requires much... cleaning. These are the remnants of the choke I scooped out with a spoon upon removal from my steamer:

The result was this fun spread of artichoke leaves and dips. A fun, fresh twist on standard chips and dip. At our house, we usually enjoy appetizers standing up around the kitchen, so I pre-peeled all leaves off the choke for easy grabbing and dipping. This worked well, and I would recommend it, especially for groups. Fewer people handling the artichoke makes everyone feel more comfortable, I imagine.

The sauces were simple. First, a lemon-garlic mayo, and second, some store-bought basil pesto. I also set small bread and butter plates out so guests could enjoy their own little combinations of dips.

Would you believe that I did not take a single photo of hubby's delicious prosciutto pizza?! In my hungry stupor, I failed to capture the masterpiece on film. I did, however, snap a shot of the not-so-exciting salad. I am really looking for some easy salad ideas that do not require tons of ingredients and preparation. Does it exist!? My standard is spinach/mixed greens, tomatoes, croutons, sometimes nuts, and oil and balsamic vinegar:



The rest of the plans were simple. I was excited to use my new Anthropologie Mexican tile coasters:


We served some of my favorite Chilean Merlot, and some cold mint water, with leaves from our mint plant given to us by Hubby's mother:



And I kept our table setting pretty minimal. When we serve pizza, we put the pies right on the dining table, so any tablescapes are sure to be removed after all. Simple is better when many dishes will eventually make their way to the table.



So that is really it. Forgive me for not showcasing the star of the show, Hubby's pizza! He's really gotten to be quite good at his recipe, which I know I've promised to share with you before. Looking forward to a fun wedding celebration weekend for a dear friend. Hope you enjoy your days off as well!