I think artichokes are my very favourite vegetables. Their flavour is quite mild and mellow - very slightly nutty. They are really beautiful plants - architectural and stately. I always feel tempted to buy them when I see them, partly because they just look so great.
However, fresh artichokes are a ton of work to prepare. They are technically flower buds that you eat before they blossom, but they are armoured flower buds: the rhinoceros or tank of the flower family. Thorny, spiny and extra tough on the outside, and on the inside - a fuzzy, spiny, inedible ‘choke’ that you have to scoop out if you don’t want to get the same textural experience as biting into a thistle.
Plus, they turn an unappealing dingy brown almost the moment you cut into them, which can apparently be combated by rubbing them all over with lemon (though despite my best efforts has never worked for me).
Then when you have battled through spines and chokes and rapid onset discoloration, you find yourself with an absolute mountain of artichoke leaves and detritus that you need to discard and a comparatively pitiful little artichoke heart extracted from the big globe you started with. I am always up for an involved cooking project, but I have always found that the rewards of preparing fresh artichokes don’t seem worth the effort.
Luckily, canned and frozen artichokes are really good! They don’t suffer from the severe mushiness that plagues so many tinned or frozen vegetables. They are sturdy enough to be really excellent after being preserved. In this recipe they get roasted until dark brown and very crispy - the little flower fronds should be frizzy and crackly. Then pair them with soft and sweet butter lettuce, garlicky breadcrumbs, salty olives and parmesan and a tart lemon dressing.
Just in case you have a glut of artichokes on hand - these crispy artichokes make an incredible snack on their own, especially with some kind of delicious dip. For scientific purposes I ate most of an entire tin of these crispy artichokes on my own with a little dip made of mayo, black garlic and chilis while testing this recipe. Highly recommend.
crispy artichoke salad
1 tin of artichokes in water
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 head of butter lettuce
⅓ cup panko crumbs
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp chili flakes
¼ cup large green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
¼ cup parmesan shavings
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Drain artichokes and cut into quarters. Set aside to dry out on paper towels. Heat oven to 400°. Drizzle 2 tbs grapeseed oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and toss artichokes in oil. Roast artichokes for 35-40, turning them over halfway through so they get deeply golden and crispy all over. They are done when the leafy fronds are very crispy and golden brown. Set aside on paper towels to cool slightly.
Over medium heat, melt 2 tbs butter in a small frying pan. Add breadcrumbs, garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the crumbs are deep gold and fragrant. Set aside.
Shake olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and a bit of salt and pepper in a jar until creamy and emulsified.
Arrange lettuce on a platter and drizzle with dressing. Top with sprinkles of breadcrumbs, parmesan, and olives. Arrange artichokes on top and enjoy.
