Title: Artichoke Paste
Categories: Ornish, Appetizers, Vegan
Yield: 1 Cup
4 Giant artichokes; up to 5
1 Lemon; juice of
3 lg Lemon peel pieces
2 tb Onion or shallots;
- finely diced
2 cl Garlic; thinly sliced
1 Bay leaf
3 Thyme sprigs -OR-
2 pn Dried thyme
1 bn Tarragon -OR-
1/4 ts Dried tarragon
4 Parsley sprigs
Salt
Black pepper;
- freshly ground
Fresh lemon juice or
- tarragon vinegar;
- to taste
Chervil or tarragon;
- chopped, for garnish
Trim the artichokes down to their hearts (they can be quartered)
and set them in a bowl of water acidulated with the lemon juice as
you work. Use a pan large enough to hold all the artichokes in a
single layer. Add water just to cover and add the lemon peel,
onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tarragon, and parsley. Bring to a
boil, then lower the heat and simmer, adding small amounts of water
as needed, until the artichokes are tender and just a few
tablespoons of liquid remain.
Remove the bay leaf, lemon, parsley, and thyme branches. Transfer
the artichokes to a food paocessor and puree, adding the remaining
pan juices as needed to thin the mixture. If any fibers from the
artichokes remain, pass the puree through a food mill. Season to
taste with salt and pepper. Add a little lemon juice or vinegar to
sharpen the flavors (again, do this to taste--the puree may already
be fine as it is). Heap into a bowl and garnish with the chopped
chervil or tarragon.
Note:
Artichokes make a subtle and delicate spread to serve with
crackers. The time to make this is when the large spring artichokes
from California are available and inexpensive. If it's available,
garnish the spread with chopped chervil or tarragon.
