Marinated Baby Artichokes
If you can think ahead about a week or two, you can serve your family or guests these eminently tender, succulent baby artichokes. After marinating for a long time, the leaves become completely edible. With all the oil, this is messy to eat, but good. The recipe comes from Chef Andrea Apuzzo at Andrea's, and the cookbook he and I wrote together, La Cucina Di Andrea's.- 2 cups white vinegar
- 6-8 baby artichokes
- 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Pinch white pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano
- 1 broken bay leaf
1. Bring a gallon of water to a boil with the vinegar.
2. Trim the outer two layers of artichoke leaves. (Put them in a food storage bag and freeze them for the next time you want to make artichoke soup.)
3. Put the artichokes into the boiling vinegar-water. Boil for about twenty minutes, or until the inner surfaces of the artichoke leaves are tender. Plunge artichokes into cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Cut off the top ends of the artichokes, along with any excess stem. (The first inch and a half or so of the stem is good to eat.) Slice the artichokes in eighths from top to bottom.
5. Put the artichokes and all the other ingredients into a large jar or airtight container. Make sure there is enough olive oil to completely cover the artichokes. Gently shake the container to distribute all ingredients evenly.
6. Store the container in the refrigerator for one week to marinate. (It gets even better if it marinates two or even three weeks.)
Serves six to eight as antipasto.[divider type=""]