Steamed Artichoke with Tomato Sauce

A filling and warming dish, this recipe puts a spin on the classic steamed artichoke with added flavor and style. I really like artichokes any way they are cooked, but its great to use spice and herbs to bring out its flavor, instead of heavy mayo and the like. They are a very neutral vegetable so you can use it in any kind of cuisine. Here I just paired it with Italian. I LOVE them deep fried, like in the Jewish ghetto in Rome, but this recipe is more for a light dinner, and it is pretty easy to make.

Serves 2

• 2 whole artichokes, trimmed
• 2 lemons
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley/thyme/oregano
• 1 shallot
• 8 black olives, torn and deseeded
• 1 cup water/or white wine
• 1 diced red chili
• handful of chopped fresh basil
• half a can of peeled tomatoes
• 6 fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• salt/pepper
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• optional- anchovies and 2 hard boiled eggs

First you will need to trim your chokes, which is no fun task. Take some kitchen scissors and cut down the tips of all the leaves. Peel off the bottom 2 layers completely. Take a vegetable peeler and peel the green off the stem and cut off the bottom bit. Take a sharp knife and cut off top. You will then see the middle white part with lots of red. You will need to scrape out this center with a spoon. Just stick it in firmly and move around in a circular motion, pulling out the white “fur” and all the white and red inner leaves, which are very spiky at the tips. Rinse well and leave the water in between the leaves for better steaming. Prop up the choke and squeeze half a lemon on top and over the leaves. Set aside and do the second one.

Then you need to make the stuffing. Chop your shallot finely and set aside half. Finely chop your garlic and set aside half. Add the shallot and garlic to the torn olives and put in your dried herbs with some salt and pepper. Then stuff this in between the leaves and inside the chokes the best that you can.

You will need to get a pressure cooker to do this in a quick 15 minutes. Otherwise, you can steam them, but it will take close to an hour and you will need to keep refilling your pot with water. Place your chokes into the pressure cooker and add about 1 cup of water or white wine for more flavor. Put pot on high heat. Once it starts hissing lower heat and cook for about 5 minutes, then take off heat and let it cool for about 20 minutes. You know its ready when the pressure cook lid will easily slip off.

In the meantime, make your dipping sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add your shallots. Cook a minute or two, and then add your garlic and chili. Cook another minute or two and then add your tomatoes. Cook for about two minutes more, then add your sugar, salt and pepper, balsamic, and tomato paste. Add your red wine. Stir and continue to cook down for about five minutes or until almost dry. Add your basil and stir. Place in a bowl for your dipping.

Pull your chokes out of the pot and place on a dish. Serve with boiled eggs or anchovies and sauce to the side. Don’t forget to serve a bowl for the discarded leaves.