Globe Artichokes?

dulux

Lads where can I get Globe Artichokes? Have a great recipe and have a dinner party Friday night! I live in Kells so anywhwere in Meath/Dublin will do as I am up in the smoke on Friday morning.


Artichokes stuffed with wild mushrooms and mascarpone
Ingredients
4 large fresh globe artichokes
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
300g/10oz mixed wild mushrooms, especially morels, chanterelles and ceps, cleaned and chopped into small chunks
2 tsp fresh thyme or lemon thyme leaves
80ml/3fl oz vermouth
150g/6oz mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper
25g/1oz pecans, crushed
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 potato, boiled and mashed
olive oil
vinegar

Method
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil for the artichokes. Add a good glug of both vinegar and olive oil to the water and plenty of salt.
2. To prepare the artichokes, snap off the stem and slice about a third off the top. Pull out what you can from the middle and use a spoon to scoop out all of the hairy choke. Place in the boiling water and cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes. They are done when a leaf pulled from toward the centre comes away without resistance. Drain upside-down until dry. Preheat the oven to 220C/400F/Gas 6.
3. To make the stuffing, melt the butter on moderate heat in a wide frying pan and add the mushrooms, garlic and thyme with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. When they have absorbed the butter and begin to soften, pour in the vermouth and cook, stirring, until it has mostly evaporated. Finally, stir in the mascarpone. Allow it to melt and coat everything with its sweet creaminess.
4. Spoon into the middle of the drained artichokes. Sprinkle with crushed pecans and bake for about 10 minutes, until heated through and golden on top. Finish with chopped parsley before serving. When eating, use the leaves of the artichoke to scoop out the creamy filling. Serve on a bed of mashed potato. (well mysaffron potatoes)

Oobie

Saw them in M&S a couple of weeks ago.

dulux

Yeah I have been ringing around and found 1 fruit and veg shop (Jonesys Royal Fruit & Veg) in Dunshaughlin that says he can have them by Friday for me. But thats 1 out of the whole goldenpages.ie search for Dublin/Meath.

Thanks if he doesnt ring back I might have to abandon...:(

Oobie

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=111

Here's a good recipe for grilled artichokes if you do manage to find them. It also has good pictures of how to prepare them.

dulux

Thanks, Guy says he will have them for Friday morning for me Thanks for the Grilled recipe, cool.

Here is how they fit in my menu!


Starter

Fresh tomato salsa (with bruschetta variations)

Ingredients
500g/1lb2oz ripe, full-flavoured tomatoes (such as Sungold or Gardener s Delight)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot or small red onion, finely chopped
a squeeze of lemon or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt, fresh ground black pepper

For the Bruschetta Variations:
ciabatta
garlic
olive oil
black olives
anchovies
basil leaves

Method

1. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and remove them after 30 seconds. Peel them with a sharp knife and cut into quarters, scoop out the seeds with a thumbnail.
2. You are left with skinless, seedless, delectably sweet tomato flesh. This can be left in quarters (for a chunky, salady version) or more finely chopped (if you are tending towards the salsa). Either way, toss with the remaining ingredients and it is ready to serve.

For the Bruschetta Variations:
Grill slices of ciabatta or pugliese bread, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Mix the tomato salsa (chunky version) with a few chopped black olives, and/or a couple of chopped anchovies and/or a few torn fresh basil leaves. Pile on to the bread and serve as a starter, either on it s own or with other anti-pasti.
Fish Course

Creamy mussels
(Actually doing this with Champaign)

Ingredients
12 mussels
200ml/7fl oz double cream
½ glass white wine
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

Method
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
2. Wash the mussels in cold water and discard any that won't close when tapped lightly.
3. Remove the barnacles off the mussels and pull out the fibrous beards.
4. Cook the mussels in the pan of boiling water over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until they open.
5. Place the cream and wine in a small pan and simmer gently for a few minutes. Stir in the garlic and parsley and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Drain the mussels and transfer to a serving dish.
7. Pour the cream sauce over and serve.

Main Course

Saffron potatoes

These potatoes are delicious with grilled or baked fish and a lemony home-made aioli or mayonnaise on the side.
Ingredients
200ml/7fl oz olive oil
2 large mild Spanish onions, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
½ tsp sweet paprika
4 bay leaves
½ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1kg/2¼lb firm Cyprus potatoes, peeled
50 threads saffron, infused in 4 tbsp boiling water

Method
1. Set a large saucepan over a medium heat and add half the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook the onion for five minutes, then turn down the heat to low and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and sweet in smell and taste.
2. Add the garlic, paprika, bay and rosemary and cook for five more minutes to release their flavours.
3. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes in half lengthways and each half into two or three long wedges, depending on the size of the potato. Salt them lightly and pour on the saffron infusion. Toss well and leave for about five minutes before adding to the pan.
4. Let everything simmer gently, covered, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan until the potatoes are tender, around 30 minutes. If there is any excess oil in the pan, drain through a colander or sieve and reserve for further use.
5. Serve.
Artichokes stuffed with wild mushrooms and mascarpone
Ingredients
4 large fresh globe artichokes
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
300g/10oz mixed wild mushrooms, especially morels, chanterelles and ceps, cleaned and chopped into small chunks
2 tsp fresh thyme or lemon thyme leaves
80ml/3fl oz vermouth
150g/6oz mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper
25g/1oz pecans, crushed
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 potato, boiled and mashed
olive oil
vinegar

Method
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil for the artichokes. Add a good glug of both vinegar and olive oil to the water and plenty of salt.
2. To prepare the artichokes, snap off the stem and slice about a third off the top. Pull out what you can from the middle and use a spoon to scoop out all of the hairy choke. Place in the boiling water and cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes. They are done when a leaf pulled from toward the centre comes away without resistance. Drain upside-down until dry. Preheat the oven to 220C/400F/Gas 6.
3. To make the stuffing, melt the butter on moderate heat in a wide frying pan and add the mushrooms, garlic and thyme with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. When they have absorbed the butter and begin to soften, pour in the vermouth and cook, stirring, until it has mostly evaporated. Finally, stir in the mascarpone. Allow it to melt and coat everything with its sweet creaminess.
4. Spoon into the middle of the drained artichokes. Sprinkle with crushed pecans and bake for about 10 minutes, until heated through and golden on top. Finish with chopped parsley before serving. When eating, use the leaves of the artichoke to scoop out the creamy filling. Serve on a bed of mashed potato. (well mysaffron potatoes)

Dessert Course

Medley of summer fruits in raspberry and strawberry sauce
(Only really using the sauce on this one, the rest I know how to do myself)

Ingredients
2 ripe peaches
1 small melon (Charentais)
8 fresh mint leaves
110g/4oz each of raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants and blackberries

For the Red Fruit Sauce:
200g/7oz raspberries
200g/7oz strawberries
100g/4oz caster sugar
juice of ½ lemon
100ml/3½fl oz champagne (optional)

Method
1. Preparing the sauce. Trim, wash and drain the fruit, then place in the blender. Add most of the sugar and lemon juice and purée, then force the pulp through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl. Taste, add more sugar and juice if necessary, then reserve.
2. Preparing the fruit. Wash and drain the fruit and mint leaves. Remove the stems from the latter. Cut each peach into 8 segments and reserve. Halve the melon, remove the seeds and divide each half into 6. Remove the peel, and cut each piece into 2 (36 pieces in all) lengthways. Cut large strawberries in halves and quarters, leaving the smaller ones whole. Mix all the fruit together and place in the sauce. Chop the mint leaves very finely and mix with the fruit. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Serving. Place the fruit and sauce into a glass bowl and serve, while very cold to your guests.

Variations:
Various fruits can be added or substituted - wild strawberries, grapes, mango, pears etc. You can add a festive note by pouring a little Champagne to each fruit medley in front of you guests. This will produce a beautiful foam and add to the freshness of the dish.

Oobie

Can I come to the dinner party??

It all sounds great (well, except the mussels but that's only because I'm vegetarian!).

dulux

Well it went well apart from the Chokes. They tasted crap and took a huge amount of work. Expensive too at 2.99 each...


Would not recommend to anybody unless they have a fetish...

Alun

As far as I'm concerned there's only one way to eat artichokes and that's to simply boil them, and one by one take a leaf off the outside, dip it into a good vinagrette and pull the little fleshy bit off the base of the leaf with your teeth. Do this until the leaves are all gone, and then isolate the choke from all the 'fur' and eat that last of all. It's the way I was introduced to them many years ago in France. Don't forget a big bowl in the centre of the table for all the leaves, which always seem to take up 10x more room than the original artichoke.

thewillow

I've eaten them deep-fried whole in a Jewish restaurant in Rome. Served with thick mustardy vinaigrette. Fantastic.