Artichokes With Garlic, Thyme and Parmesan.
One of the treats of autumn in northern California is that artichokes have a second season. Just as everything seems to be turning red and brown, we get a dose of green. And artichokes are one of our favorite vegetables, their nutty, earthy flavor is like nothing else. And while artichokes do often require some extra effort to prepare, we think the time is well worth it. And if you have small or “baby” artichokes, then the extra effort is definitely worth it.
Usually we get these small artichokes eary in the season, but you can sometimes find them all year. The advantage of the small artichokes is that you can trim the tops and then peel the outer leaves and eat the artichoke whole (mostly). With very small artichokes (the “babies), all you need to do is top them and pull away the dark outer leaves- the fuzzy/thorny “choke” will not have formed. If you have slightly larger artichokes, you will need to halve them and scoop out the choke with a spoon. This will take 5-10 minutes for a dozen small artichokes.
So what do we do with the artichokes? We like to deep fry them in olive oil (yum) or steam them with potatoes, but for a very quick and tasty dish we steam them with garlic and thyme and then sprinkle on some lemon juice and shaved parmesan. This recipe is a riff on an Alice Waters recipe, and she knows her veggies. We simply adjust the recipe for slightly larger artichokes (she can get whatever veggies she wants, sometimes we have to make do). We also add a dash of smoked paprika, the smokey notes work very well with the earthy artichokes. (We guess it is OK to add a dash of red to our green dishes.)
Making the dish is easy, the only issue is trimming and cleaning the artichokes. It takes less time than you think, but makes a mess. Prepare to have a large bag or bowl to collect the artichokes leaves. Otherwise you simply steam the artichokes for 10-15 minutes with water, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Then uncover the artichokes and reduce the liquid for a sauce and finish cooking the artichokes, about another 5-10 minutes, or until soft. Put the artichokes on a platter, season, add some lemon juice, shave on some parmesan cheese and add the smoked paprika. What you get is a surprisingly rich, and tasty dish. The artichokes and parmesan are sweet and nutty, the thyme and garlic add depth and herbal notes and the acid from the lemon and smoky paprika accent the other flavors. Good stuff, and certainly worth the effort.
Artichokes With Garlic, Thyme and Parmesan.
Artichokes With Garlic, Thyme And Parmesan:
(Adapted from Alice Waters)
Notes Before You Start:
- Use the smallest artichokes you can get, 1-3 inches long. Much larger than that, and you will want to cook the artichokes differently.
What You Get: A very tasty artichoke dish with more depth of flavor than you might expect.
What You Need: No special equipment required.
How Long? About 30-40 minutes, with 10-15 minutes of active time cleaning the artichokes. Anytime dish.
Ingredients:
(Serves 4 as a side dish)
- 12 small (2-3 inch) or 24 “baby” (1-2 inch) artichokes
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 lemon
- Parmesan cheese
- Smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
Assemble:
- Peel off the dark outer leaves of the artichokes and then trim off the tops and any thorny leaves. Trim the bottoms of the artichoke, leaving no more than half an inch of the stem. If using larger artichokes, cut them in half and scoop out the fuzzy “choke” with a spoon. Place the cut artichokes in a bowl with acidulated water (water with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar) to keep them from browning.
- Place a medium, lidded pot over medium heat. Add a cup of water, the olive oil, garlic, thyme and the artichokes to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil and lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, shake the pan every few minutes. Remove the lid and then cook until the liquid reduces (it will form a light sauce) and the artichokes are soft, another 5-10 minutes (longer times for larger artichokes).
- When done, pour the artichokes and the sauce onto a serving platter, remove the thyme sprigs. Season and then sprinkle with lemon juice and shave on the parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of smoked paprika, if you like. Serve.
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Putney Farm 
Looking good as always … and I’m sure it taste good too, but I hate to prepare them – my hands itch all the time – even if I have gloves on … and the mess they make. But I will try this with tinned …. because I like everything about this recipe. Hope you can forgive me for that.
Thanks- and the artichokes are a pain to handle, we just do it so often we get used to it….the flavors should still work w/ tinned artichokes…
I will give it a try with … tinned. Will let you know.
Raw artichokes make me gag haha. But cooked like this, i might try them. 🙂
It is worth a try- the key is the small artichokes…
Thank you for all these amazing recipes!!
I love artichokes – so another must try recipe 🙂
Thanks! And thanks for your visit- hope you enjoy the dish…
Looks excellent and worth trying the recipe! And seeing where I still have my “issues” with artichokes after trying them during the Creative Kitchen Challenge, that is saying a lot. 🙂
They can be a pain to work with, but since our kids will eat them…worth the effort for us…the steaming method with small artichokes is a good method…
What a treat! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! 😉
These look amazing! I love artichokes but am fairly uninspired when I think to make them… I’ve been hoping to expand my recipe collection (in regards to artichokes especially) so this post will be especially helpful for me – also thanks for adding the link!
Hope you enjoy the recipe- thanks for visiting!
I do love artichokes, after years of being afraid of preparing them myself. I am jealous of your second season!
We do get a few treats in the fall in California…the artichokes are very welcome…
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These look mouthwateringly good. We used to eat artichokes all the time in Spain, and I’ve always wanted to master a straightforward way to prepare them. It’s hard to go wrong with garlic and parmesan! Can’t wait to try!
Hope you enjoy it! This is one of the faster ways to do it- just get the smallest artichokes you can..
This looks so delicious! I’ve had trouble every time I’ve prepared baby artichokes, though– even though I peel off and discard much of the outside at first– with the outsides (that I’ve left in) being too tough or chewy to really enjoy. Any specific tips on how to soften them up?
Hi. It’s not just the size but the age of the artichokes that makes the leaves tough. The big ones are just to old to steam this way or eat whole. Only the botton of the leaves and the heart really work with the big Globe artichokes.
The real challenge is shopping for, or picking out, the smaller artichokes. Once you get the small ones you still need to peel them back until only the light green (almost yellow) leaves are left.
Ok, good to know! Maybe the age has been the problem with even the very little artichokes I’ve made before (since yes, I know that about the big Globe artichokes– which I eat like once a week– but I thought that in contrast to those, the little ones were nearly entirely edible… which I guess is not quite true). I’ll make sure to use only the freshest and smallest artichokes the next time I make a dish like this; thanks!
This looks really good. You don’t see many artichoke recipes.
Thanks! There aren’t that many, but you can play with this basic cooking method for more variety…
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