A is for Artichoke

I made this recipe almost 2 months ago, and I am glad to be sharing it after a difficult time.  It has been just over a month since my wonderful dad passed away.  There is nothing that can prepare you for such loss and sadness and in time things should feel a little bit better.  There are so many things I am grateful for, most notably having the support from my family and friends to be able to travel between Dubai and Sydney frequently during the past months to spend time with dad.  My family and I have plenty to look forward to this year and dad will never be far from our minds.  Dad really enjoyed reading my blog and we talked a lot about possible recipes and ideas.  I will miss his comments.

So lets begin shall we.  It is the 1st of March and I am now commencing my blog challenge for the year. A post for each letter of the alphabet using the name of an ingredient.  It will not be the name of a dish or cuisine but the ingredient in the dish.  Some letters are a challenge to think of just one ingredient, others difficult because there are too many to choose from.  But I hope you enjoy this journey and look forward to each post.  By my calculations they will need to be quite frequent in order to complete 26 posts by the end of the year – wish me luck!

I love Artichokes.  They are deliciously tangy, fragrant, sweet.  They are fabulous on pizzas, part of an antipasto plate, tossed through pasta.  I have prepared fresh artichokes once or twice and they are also fantastic as well as very time consuming, but seasonal so not always available.   

This recipe uses tinned artichokes hearts in brine and combines with another favourite of mine, olives to create the easiest and tastiest alternative to a tomato brushcetta topping.  It is a 5 minute recipe and the perfect dinner at the end of the week instead of  take away.

We had a bit left over and 2 days later ended up turning it into a filling for ravioli just by adding in a tub of ricotta and some cooked chicken mince , coated in a creamy white wine sauce – a completely different meal and again delicious.

I have not included the recipe for homemade pasta because I am not pasta making expert and there are so many simple recipes out there by all the great chefs.  Alternatively use ready made wonton wrappers.

It was a slow cook meal and I had the help from my trusty mini assistants to roll out the pasta dough, it was a great afternoon activity.  We had a lot of fun and they ended up making very ‘rustic’ fettucine for their dinner as all 3 of them were silent as they demolished their plate!

I have to admit the ravioli was also pretty tasty!

Artichoke Crostini

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

PS - This is a recipe to taste, so no need to stress if you want to add in a little more or less of some of the ingredients.

Author: Smitten Kitchen

Serves: 2-6

Ingredients

• 400g drained artichoke hearts, in brine
• 1 cup pitted or sliced green olives, in brine
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 crusty loaf of bread

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients apart from the bread into the food processor. Add a little extra oil if necessary.
2. Slice the bread and brush with a little oil and toast.
3. Top with artichoke mix and enjoy!

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Artichoke and chicken Ravioli

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

PS -This filling mixture can be used to fill cannelloni, lasagna as well as traditional ravioli PPS - This recipe made a bit of extra so I put it in the freezer for next time.

Author: Edwina Stuart

Serves: 2 ish

Ingredients

• ½ portion of the Artichoke crostini mix
• 250g ricotta
• 300g chicken mince cooked, or diced cooked chicken
• Fresh pasta sheets or wonton wrappers
• Sauce (for 2 servings of ravioli)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 eschallot diced
• 1 small glass of white wine
• ¼ cup cream
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Mix in a bowl, the artichoke mix, chicken and ricotta. Season to taste.
2. If using fresh pasta, roll and lay out sheets on a floured surface and place teaspoon size dollops about 8cm apart, enough to seal and cut around each ravioli.
3. With a brush, paint circles of water around each blob of filling about 2cm offset, and place another sheet of pasta over the top and press gently around each ravioli to ensure no air pockets and a complete seal.
4. Then cut around each ravioli and form.
5. If using wonton wrappers, then process will be a little simpler.
6. In a small pan sauté the shallot until translucent in the butter.
7. Add the white wine and let it bubble until most of the wine has evaporated. Pour in the cream to warm through and take off heat.
8. In a big pot of salted boiling water, place the ravioli to cook for 3-4 minutes until tender.
9. Drain and coat in the cream sauce, sprinkle with fresh parsley and devour.

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