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baked artichokes, onions, lemon, mint & olives

We tried the recipe for Baked Artichokes with Onions, Lemons, Black Olives & Mint and took it to our friend’s house to share with some excellent chicken they made. The recipe is from “The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved Restaurant.”

The picture here was taken at our friend’s house.  We were really happy with the way the dish turned out. Good presentation and great taste. We used organic ingredients for all but the olives.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thinly sliced sweet yellow onions, about 8 cups
• 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil
• salt
• 4 garlic cloves slivered
• 1/3 cup Nicoise or Gaet olives, rinsed
• dozen fresh mint leaves very coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lemon ( cut lengthwise)
• About 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 4 bright green, tightly closed artichokes, 3 1/2 inch in diameter
• a little water as needed

Method

Preheat oven to 375

Toss the onions with about 1/2 cup of the olive oil and about 1 – 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Add the garlic, olives and mint. Let this sit to blend the falvors and extract some moisture from the onions.

Trim off the pithy end of the lemon, then slice as thin as possible into half-moons, stopping when you get hit pith at the other end. Remove seeds. Toss the lemon slices with the onion mixture. Set aside.

Trim the bottom of the stem of each artichoke and carefully peel the stalk. Remove badly damaged or dry outer leaves. Trim the thorns with scissors or slice them off with a sharp paring knife. Cut the artichoke in half, then use a stainless steel spoon to carve under and remove the thistley choke, leaving the meaty bottom intact. Rinse in cold water; don’t drain well – a little water between the leaves helps ensure that the artichokes cook thoroughly and evenly.

Sprinkle the artichokes with salt, squeezing and folding them so some salt falls between the leaves. Drizzle and rub with olive oil to coat thoroughly, then squeeze the halves so you can trickle and rub some between the leaves. [This is a neat thing to do. It reminds me of making something with clay.]

Spreas the juicy onion mixture about 1-1/2 inches deep in a large flameproof baking dish. [We used a paella pan. The author uses a 10 by 14 lasagna pan.] The liquid should be about 1/2 inch deep; if not, add a little water. Don’t be shy about adding water. The liquid generates steam that helps to cook the artichokes. Nestle the artichokes cut side down in the bed of onions. They will be crowded.

Heat gently over a low flame until the puddle is bubbling, then cover tightly – first with parchment paper, then foil, dull side out – and bake until you can easily pull out a second-tier leaf and he pulp at its base is tender. This usually takes 1-1/2 hours; the exact size of the artichokes, as well as the baking dish and oven performance, will affect the cooking time. Be aware that the outermost layer of leaves will emerge a little leathery.

Once a test leaf is tender, raise the oven temperature to 400, uncover and bake for about 15 minutes longer to concentrate the flavors and lightly brown the tips of the vegetables. Serve hot, warm, or cold, as is, or with homade mayonaise flavored with lemon, garlic, or a few chopped anchovy fillets.

Cover any leftovers lightly and refrigerate; they will be silkier and sweeter the next day. Bring to room temperature before serving, or heat slowly, loosely covered in a 300 degree oven.