Quick Braised Artichokes Recipes

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut each of the artichokes in half; remove the toughest outer leaves, use a spoon to remove the choke, and trim the bottom.
• Put 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it melts and foam subsides, add artichokes, cut side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add stock (it should come about halfway up the sides of the artichokes), bring to a boil, and cover; turn heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender, checking every 5 or 10 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid in the pan, adding more stock as necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and transfer artichokes to serving platter.
• Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a sauce. Stir in lemon zest and juice and remaining tablespoon butter; taste and adjust seasoning. Serve artichokes drizzled with sauce.

QUICK BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut each artichoke lengthwise into quarters, through the stem. Using a spoon, remove the fuzzy choke from the heart of each quarter, and immediately squeeze juice from one of the lemon halves over all artichokes to prevent them from discoloring.
• Place all the ingredients, including the remaining lemon half, into a large saucepan; fill with enough cold water to cover artichokes. Cover pan, and bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook just until artichoke hearts can be pierced with a fork but are not too soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let artichokes sit in cooking liquid until ready to serve, up to 10 minutes. Transfer carefully to serving plates with a slotted spoon, allowing excess liquid to drain off.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim 6 medium artichokes (see Cook's Note), leaving the stems intact. Halve lengthwise. Cook 2 each sliced carrots, celery stalks and leeks in a pot with 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 12 minutes. Add 3 sliced garlic cloves; cook 2 more minutes. Add the artichokes in a single layer; add 2 teaspoons salt, 2 bay leaves, 3 thyme sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, 1 1/2 cups white wine, and water to cover. Lay a round of parchment paper on the artichokes and simmer until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the liquid.

ARTICHOKES BRAISED WITH GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off top inch of artichoke and gently pull open center. Scoop out sharp leaves and fuzzy choke from center with a melon-ball cutter or a spoon. Trim bottom 1/4 inch of stem (if present), keeping stem attached, and peel stem. Put artichoke in a large bowl of cold water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
• Remove artichokes from water and push 3 parsley sprigs into center of each. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add artichokes, thyme sprigs, garlic, 1/4 cup water, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover pot and braise artichokes, turning occasionally, until artichokes are browned in spots and bases are tender when pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes.
• Transfer artichokes, thyme, and garlic to a platter. Add remaining 3/4 cup water to pot and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour pan juices (they will be dark) into a small bowl and stir in extra-virgin olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Squeeze pulp from 2 of garlic cloves into juices and mash into sauce with a fork.
• Divide artichokes and remaining garlic cloves among 6 plates and drizzle with sauce. Garlic cloves can be peeled and spread on crusty bread.

EASY BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Fill a medium bowl with water and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon in the bowl, tossing in the lemon halves as well. Rinse each artichoke and trim 1/2-inch off of the stalk. Trim 1-inch off the top of each artichoke.
• Cut each artichoke in half, from stalk to tip, and remove the choke with a spoon or paring knife. Remove the tough outer leaves and trim the outside of the stalk with a paring knife. Add the prepped artichokes to the bowl of lemon water to keep them from browning while they are cooking.
• Slice the remaining lemon. In a baking dish large enough to place the artichokes in 1 even layer, place the slices in the dish to form a bed for the artichokes. In the center of each artichoke, add a garlic half and drizzle with half the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on top of the lemon slices, holding the garlic clove in half as you turn them.
• Pour the chicken stock around the sides, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of stock should be in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops of the artichokes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and firmly seal with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven until fork-tender and the leaves peel off easily, about 1 hour.

EASY BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Fill a medium bowl with water and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon in the bowl, tossing in the lemon halves as well. Rinse each artichoke and trim 1/2-inch off of the stalk. Trim 1-inch off the top of each artichoke. Then cut each artichoke in half, from stalk to tip, and remove the choke with a spoon. Remove the tough outer leaves and trim the outside of the stalk with a paring knife. Add the prepped artichokes to the bowl of lemon water to keep from browning.
• Slice the remaining lemon. In a baking dish large enough to place the artichokes in 1 even layer, place the slices in the dish to form a bed for the artichokes. In the center of each artichoke, add a garlic half and drizzle with half the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on top of the lemon slices. Pour the chicken stock around the sides, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops of the artichokes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and firmly seal with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven until fork-tender and the leaves peel off easily, about 1 hour.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim tops of artichokes just to choke.
• Slice garlic into slivers and insert 1/2 of amount amongst leaves and sprinkle rest in bottom of pot.
• Place prepared artichokes in pot just large enough to hold.
• Pour 1/4 cup each olive oil and white wine over artichokes.
• Sprinkle chopped parsley and thyme over artichokes.
• Pour chicken broth and water over chokes and top each with 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Salt and pepper top of each choke and cover pot.
• Simmer chokes until tender (approximately 30-45 minutes).
• Serve the remaining sauce in bottom of pot as dipping sauce.
• Add a little more water if necessary should the liquid evaporate too much.
• NOTES: I remove chokes after cooking.
• The artichokes are much more tasty should you put them refrigerator in braising sauce for a day-- better in two days or more.
• Also ideal to serve hollandaise made with braising sauce.
• I sometimes remove the choke before placing in fridge and use the cavity for the hollandaise.

PORK-BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim off the stems and cut off half the tops of the artichokes. Simmer for 10 minutes; refresh in cold water and drain again.
• Remove the chokes and fill with following stuffing.
• Stew the pork, bacon and onion in pan but do not let the meat brown.
• Add a tablespoon or so of oil, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Tie two or three slices bacon around each artichoke with a string and place in ovenproof dish with oil. Fry lightly.
• Add wine and stock. Cover and braise for about one hour at 350 degrees. Remove string and serve with juices.

BRAISED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with water, and juice lemon into water. Reserve lemon halves. Remove tough outer leaves of artichokes. Trim pointy tops and stems, rubbing artichokes with lemon halves and then transferring them to the lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration. Cut larger baby artichokes in half lengthwise if desired.
• Drain artichokes, and transfer to a large skillet along with stock, wine, and oil. Set over medium-high heat, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until artichokes are tender and golden and liquid has completely evaporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

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.

QUICK BRAISED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut each artichoke lengthwise into quarters through the stem. Using a spoon, remove the fuzzy choke from the heart of each quarter, and immediately squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves over all artichokes to prevent them from discoloring.
• Place all the ingredients, including the remaining lemon half, in a large saucepan; fill with enough cold water to cover the artichokes. Cover the pan, and bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook just until the artichoke hearts can be pierced with a fork but are not too soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let the artichokes sit in the cooking liquid until ready to serve, up to 10 minutes. Transfer carefully to serving plates with a slotted spoon, allowing excess liquid to drain off.