Cheesy Cardoon Pie

A spinoff on spanikopita, I created a phyllo-crusted creation featuring artichoke's cousin cardoons.

Clean and chop the cardoons into bite-sized pieces and boil them until soft. Cool slightly and stir them into beaten eggs seasoned with sea salt and cinnamon.

Layer your baking dish with 6 layers of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with melted butter.

Line the bottom of the crust with a layer of lowfat cottage cheese. Pour the cardoon mixture in and sprinkle with feta cheese. Top with 4 more layers of phyllo, brushing each layer with butter. Roll the edges in to form a crust lip.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo is crisp and golden brown. Serve with a green salad dressed in an oregano dressing.

A Good Ol' Day

This past weekend, we were all on the Artichoke Festival float in the Good Ol’ Days parade in Pacific Grove.

Lionel, the Artichoke Man, created a wonderful float - complete with music and a spinning choke. Riley had a blast on his throne and Dylan stayed on. I’d say that was a success.

We smiled, waved, then afterwards explored the booths for a grand ol' time.

Artichokes' Kissing Cousin

Cardoons look menacing, kind of like celery on growth hormones. But they are actually closely related to artichokes. When I find them at the farmers' market, I buy them and make sformato di cardi (cardoon flan). It reminds me of Spring in Rome.

1 pound cardoons, ends trimmed, stripped of fibers, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 cups milk
3 eggs
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano

Boil the cardoons until they're half cooked in lightly salted water, drain them, and sauté them in half the butter. Salt them, and when they have absorbed the butter, sprinkle some of the milk over them and simmer them until done.

Using the remaining butter, milk, and a level tablespoon of flour, make a beciamela sauce. Beat the eggs, mix all the ingredients together and check seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a buttered smooth sided mold. Bake the sformato in a 325 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes or until sets. Serve hot with a tossed salad and a crisp white wine.

EcoChokes by EcoChic Designs

This being the year of the artichoke and all, when I located a supplier of sterling silver artichoke charms, I immediately bought his entire supply and launched into making a line of one-of-a-kind pieces. I'm slowly listing necklaces for sale at http://www.ecochicdesigns.etsy.com/. Here are just a few...

Ramping Up

I've been oddly silent on all things artichoke as of late. My other culinary adventures were in full swing though; check out that blog.

But we're about to launch into full-blown artichoke mode this week: Jacob will be hanging a show at The Trailside Cafe on Cannery Row (with several artichoke paintings) tomorrow and the entire family will be on the Artichoke Festival float in the Good Ol' Days parade next Saturday.

Stay tuned...

Lasagna Bianca con Carciofi

Lasagna Bianca con Carciofi (White Lasagna with Artichokes)

Beciamela Sauce...
Butter
Olive Oil
Flour
Milk
Cinnamon
White Wine
Shallots, thinly sliced
Chicken, cubed into bite-size pieces
Shredded carrots
Fennel Seeds
Sea Salt and pepper to taste
Whole fresh basil leaves
Fresh baby spinach
Italian/Flat-leaf Parsley, coarsely chopped
Chopped Artichoke hearts

The rest of it…
Lasagna Noodles
Mozzarella
Ricotta cheese (or cream cheese)
Cottage Cheese
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Procedure:
Make a basic Beciamela Sauce (White Sauce) –
Melt butter with a splash of olive oil so that it doesn’t brown. Once the butter is melted, add flour to make a roux. Add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once you have the amount and consistency that you want, add a splash of white wine and cinnamon. Whisk again until smooth. Set aside.

Make Chicken for the sauce –
Sauté the shallots in olive oil until softened. Add and brown the chicken. Add fennel seeds and carrots, cook until carrots are done. Wilt the spinach and basil leaves. Turn off heat and add parsley and chopped artichokes. Combine the beciamela and the chicken.

Assemble The rest of it –
Spoon a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13” pan. Then alternate noodles, mozzarella (to cover the seams), chicken sauce, ricotta, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese. Repeat until you reach the top of the pan. The last layer should be the chicken sauce.

Bake at 350°F (covered in foil) until the sauce bubbles along the side of the pan, usually an hour. Then top with parmesan cheese and bake another 10 minutes, uncovered, to brown the top.

Buon Appetito!

Mini Chocolate-Artichoke Bundts with a Silky Chocolate Sauce

When I told a friend I'd make artichoke cupcakes for her tea party, I should have warned her that I rarely, if ever, make the same thing twice. So instead of the artichoke cakes with a cream cheese frosting, I opted for a chocolatey version. Thank goodness, she didn't mind...and everyone seemed to enjoy these decadent treats.

Chocolate-Artichoke Cakes

4-1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 C Dutch process cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
2 sticks softened butter
1 C canola oil
2 C raw sugar
1 C blue agave nectar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 C buttermilk
2 cups chopped artichoke hearts
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Mix dry ingredients. Beat butter and oil until well-mixed. Add sugar and beat until lightened. Beat in agave and eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat in half the flour mixture, then the second half. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into pans. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Top with silky chocolate sauce.