Buttered Artichoke Bottoms Recipes

STUFFED ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; remove from heat and set aside. Place the Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
• Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each artichoke bottom so it will stand, and gently press your thumb into the center of each to form a depression for the filling. Sprinkle the artichoke bottoms with lemon pepper and garlic salt.
• Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and chives in a bowl, and mix well. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each artichoke bottom.
• Dip each stuffed artichoke bottom into the melted butter, roll in Parmesan cheese, and place into the prepared baking dish. Bake about 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops of the artichokes are golden brown.

ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Snap off most tough outer leaves from artichokes. Trim 1 1/2 inches from top. In pot of water, place artichokes, 1 1/2 lemons, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover with smaller-size lid to keep artichokes submerged. Cook over medium heat until hearts are tender when pierced with knife, about 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. When artichokes are tender, drain, remove remaining leaves, and discard all but the smallest, most tender ones. Set those aside. Remove choke completely with melon baller or spoon, and rub artichoke bottoms with remaining lemon half. In a glass pie pan or gratin dish, strew leaves and mix in half of bechamel. Lightly butter artichoke bottoms, season with salt and pepper, and place on top of bechamel. Place folded piece of prosciutto in each bottom; fill with a rounded mound of bechamel.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Rub the tops with butter, and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve one or two bottoms per person along with some of the leaves.

ARTICHOKE HEARTS IN A WHITE WINE GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium-sized nonstick pan heat the olive oil over a medium heat.
• Add the garlic and stir for a minute making sure not to let the garlic turn brown.
• Add the white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
• Pour in the lemon juice and stir.
• Cut the butter into cubes and add to the pan gradually making sure to whisk constantly.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Carefully add the artichoke hearts and gently toss in the sauce to warm for about a minute.
• Transfer the artichoke hearts and sauce to a serving platter and garnish with the parsley and green onions.
• Serve at once.

SPINACH STUFFED ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS

Steps:

• Prepare artichokes or buy canned bottoms. To prepare remove stem and then break the leaves of the base. Artichoke should have a conical shape when done. Cut off the core of the artichoke above the base. Base should be trimmed with vegetable peeler until all of the fibrous material is removed. Place the core and bottom in lemon water. The choke will be removed after cooking.
• Arrange artichoke pieces in one layer in saucepan with little oil, water, lemon juice and a dash of salt. Cook for 20-25 minutes covered. Once tender remove bottoms with spoon and pour cooking liquid over the bottoms.
• Spinach Sauté:.
• Cook in skillet with dash of salt 3-4 minutes until wilted. Drain. Using a spoon, press spinach to extract water. Chop the spinach and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat butter in skillet until dark brown then add spinach. Sauté just until heated. Reheat the artichoke bottoms in their liquid and drain. Arrange them in a gratin dish and spoon spinach into each one. Press the Swiss cheese on top of spinach.
• Gratin Sauce:.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and add flour. Mix with whisk and cook on medium heat for 10 seconds. Add the milk all at once and mix with whisk. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until sauce boils. Reduce heat and boil for 30 seconds. Add cream and remove from heat.
• Preheat the broiler. Coat the artichokes with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Heat under broiler for 3-4 minutes or until browned.

ROASTED ARTICHOKES WITH GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a bowl large enough to accommodate the artichokes when halved with water (about 2 quarts). Add the lemon juice. (I also toss in the lemon pieces.)
• As you complete steps 3 through 8, immediately immerse the artichoke in the lemon (acidulated) water.
• Trim any dry stem end from the bottom of the artichoke.
• Remove tough outer leaves from the bottom of the artichoke.
• Trim approximately 1 inch from the top of each artichoke.
• Trim the tips of each leaf. (Be careful! They can have sharp barbs.)
• Cut the artichoke in half from top to bottom.
• Scoop the fuzzy choke from the center of each artichoke.
• Drizzle a large baking dish or roasting pan with olive oil. Season artichokes with salt and black pepper. Place 3 cloves of garlic in each artichoke, top each with a sprig of thyme and rosemary, then place a lemon slice on each. Carefully flip the artichoke half over so that the cut side is facing down. (Make sure the garlic is securely inside so that it doesn't burn.) Drizzle with olive oil.
• Cover with foil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. (Test doneness by gently pulling on one of the leaves or test with a small, sharp knife.)
• Place the softened butter in a small saucepan. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan and add to the butter. Mash it into the butter, then gently melt the butter.
• Serve the artichokes with the butter.

BUTTERED ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS

Steps:

• Place each artichoke on a flat surface on its side and cut away the stems. Cut away bottom leaves, holding a sharp knife perpendicular to the base. This should leave a clean, leafless base.
• Cut away the top leaves, leaving a base about one inch thick. Trim all around the top and bottom of each base to remove the green portions.
• Put flour in a small sieve and hold the sieve over a small saucepan. Pour the water over the flour, stirring to dissolve the flour. Add salt to taste.
• Put the artichoke bottoms into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer 20 minutes until tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat.
• When cool enough to handle, remove the fuzzy ''choke'' in the center of each artichoke bottom, using fingers or a spoon.
• Heat the butter in a small skillet and add the artichoke bottoms. Cook, turning the bottoms in the hot butter, about two minutes or until very lightly browned on all sides.

ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Fill the pan with just enough water to cover bottom. Bring to a full boil over high heat. While water is heating, trim and discard the stems and tough outer leaves of artichokes. Tuck slivers of butter and slices of garlic into artichoke leaves.
• When water is boiling, place steamer insert in pot and set artichokes in steamer, stem-side down. Cover pot with lid and allow artichokes to steam for approximately 20 minutes, until tender.

SHRIMP-STUFFED ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Drain and arrange artichoke bottoms in a buttered glass pie dish.
• In a sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour. Stir in heavy cream and cook over low medium-low heat until sauce thickens. Add sherry and shrimp, then cheese and salt. Cook until cheese melts. Pour this mixture over artichoke bottoms and bake for 20 minutes.
• Serve immediately.