Recipe from April Bloomfield
Adapted by The New York Times
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- 4(394)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This beautiful recipe for pot-roasted artichokes with white wine and capers appears in the chef April Bloomfield's 2015 cookbook "A Girl and Her Greens." It's tremendous. "The fleshy artichokes get browned and crispy tops and look like strange, beautiful roses," she writes. "The acidity in the white wine cuts through the rich, dense veg and, along with the salty pops from the capers, highlights the artichokes’ unique herbaceousness." —The New York Times
Featured in: April Bloomfield’s Secrets for Prepping Vegetables
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings as a side
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3½ pounds baby artichokes (about 18)
- 2medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons Maldon or other flaky sea salt
- 1½ cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 1heaping tablespoon drained capers
- A five-finger pinch of mint leaves (preferably black mint), torn at the last minute (see note)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
253 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 754 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oil in a heavy pot (wide enough to hold the artichokes with room to spare) over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke.
Step
2
Stand the artichokes cut sides down in the oil, wait a minute, then reduce the heat to medium-low, sprinkle in the garlic and salt, and cook, without stirring, just until the garlic turns golden and smells toasty, about 3 minutes.
Step
3
Pour in the wine, cover the pot and cook, without stirring, at a vigorous simmer until you can insert a sharp knife into the thick artichoke bottoms with barely any resistance, about 25 minutes. Five minutes or so before they’re fully tender, scatter on the capers and cover again.
Step
4
Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring the liquid to a boil.
Step
5
Cook until all the wine has evaporated (the bubbling sound will become a sizzle), about 3 minutes. Add the mint and keep cooking the artichokes in the oil (it’s OK if a few of them tip over), until the cut sides of the artichokes are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat if necessary to prevent the artichokes from getting too dark.
Step
6
Arrange the artichokes prettily on a plate, and scoop the capers, oil and slightly crispy mint over top. Serve straightaway or at room temperature.
Tip
- A five-finger pinch is as much as you can grab with just the tips of all five fingers.
Ratings
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out of 5
394
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Cooking Notes
Randy
The video mentioned is somewhat misleading because it deals with large mature artichokes.
Small artichokes are easier to prep. Peel away the tough dark outer leaves. Cut across the top to remove the points of the leaves. Cut or peel away the stem. There is no need to worry about the choke...it hasn't formed yet in baby artichokes. Put cleaned artichokes quickly in lemon water to prevent
oxidation browning. Drain and dry before cooking. The "cut side" is where you cut across the top.
Paige
There's a direction missing in this recipe--how are the artichokes prepped? The recipe refers to "cut side down", but doesn't tell you how to cut them.
Maggie
Hi Paige:
If you've never worked with artichokes before, be sure to use stainless rather than carbon steel knives to prevent blackening even quicker. Plunge them into lemon water asap. Your hands will have a blackish cast. Take those lemon rinds and rub your hands with them until the darkening disappears.
Randy's got it right. Cut off the tops until there are no sharp thorns. I happen to like the stems, and I just take a vegetable peeler and trim the outer layer of skin.
Dr. J
Artichokes still turn dark, even when I use lemon water. However, when I rub the cut leaves or stem with a cut lemon, they don't turn brown even when they cook, and you can't taste the lemon when they are done.
The choke in baby artichokes doesn't need to be removed--it is tender enough to eat. So just cut off the top of the artichoke where the spines are, and cook them whole! Great hot with garlic butter and cold with aioli.
Jan
Read the original article the recipe comes from. The video is there. I think cut side down means putting the part of the artichoke that you have sliced across down into the pan so that the stem end sticks up.
PSP
Agreed that there should be more info on the artichoke prep than "cut side down". Of course it's not that hard to figure out, but might be helpful to others.
I also found that I needed to trim way more of the leaves from the outside than I did, even after hunting for and eventually finding baby artichokes.
Genny
Made August 13,2017. Used large artichokes prepped by removing outer leaves, shaving away coarse leaf remnants from base, halving, and then removing inner choke. Each half was cut into quarters. Only addition was adding sliced fennel, browning sliced garlic and fennel before adding artichokes and wine. Excellent!
Karen
Ah! I see! One must watch the video from the article in the description. Hmmm...
chef Pace, milano
artichokes contain an acid "cynarin" they do not cohabitate well with the acids found in wines and lemons. When in season I prepare artichokes everyday but never with wine for that reason. Same to be said for cleaning artichokes most recipes tell you to rub the artichoke with lemon to prevent discoloration, not necessary, as soon as you peel and cut an artichoke immerse it immediately into ice cold water as far as paring wine leave it to a Sommelier I'm only a chef
i'm only a chef
Nell Lynch
Baby artichokes are not the same as artichoke hearts. It seems this recipe is using artichoke hearts, and what does it mean by cut side down? There is no direction to cut them in half. Should we?
Delicious
Made these exactly as the recipe is written. Delicious!
Esther and Caroline
Oops! Prepped them the way another recipe instructed - peeled outer leaves, trimmed tops and stems, and then quartered. Reduced the cooking time, so that was good! Tasty.
Alva
Can I use frozen artichoke hearts?
Max Alexander, Rome, Contestant MasterChef Italia 2020-2021
A cross between Roman style (braised) and Jewish style (deep-fried). Romans don't cook Jewish-style at home because it's too much work and mess--we order those in Jewish restaurants in the Ghetto. So this recipe gives you the ease of braising "alla romana" with some of the crispiness of Jewish style. My Roman friends are always impressed. Here we use local mentuccia, which has a taste between mint and oregano. Sadly, US artichokes aren't the same, and cost too much to eat every day!
Dee
Oh to add to my recent comment, you don’t need to add salt! Between acidity of wine and the capers, it’s good as is. If you add salt, taste first to make sure.
Max Alexander, Rome, Contestant MasterChef Italia 2020-2021
Capers should always be de-salinated in several changes of water (soaked for an hour so) before using. Then you won't have a salt problem.
Dee
I used a small (10 oz) jar of artichoke hearts in sunflower oil, powdered garlic and red wine- what I had. Heated pan, dumped in artichoke/oil, let it heat/brown and bubble, added garlic and wine and covered, to heat and brown more, removed cover to reduce liquid and added capers. A few torn basil on top and put on bed of farro. So good. Adapt wine based on how many artichokes are in your jar/can, and scoop if there’s more oil than what you want. It will take about 10 mins.
Donna Logan
No baby artichokes in my little town. Would canned work?
Max Alexander, Rome, Contestant MasterChef Italia 2020-2021
Don't use canned, not the same! Just use large artichokes and adjust braising time to about 45 minutes.
Edgar
would it work with brussel sprouts?
bcolmers
Fantastic recipe! I checked at 20' and the vegetables were already done. I stopped there to get caught up with the rest of the meal, then finished the artichokes right at the end. I found I needed to add a little more EVOO at the end to crisp things better, and the mint was a terrific touch.
de2r
Used red wine this time as I had some sitting around. I liked it more than when I’ve used white. Definite improvement.
Mina
Wonderful recipe! Came out better than I could have imagined. Be sure to trim baby artichokes spiked leaf tips first!!
Genny
Made August 13,2017. Used large artichokes prepped by removing outer leaves, shaving away coarse leaf remnants from base, halving, and then removing inner choke. Each half was cut into quarters. Only addition was adding sliced fennel, browning sliced garlic and fennel before adding artichokes and wine. Excellent!
Clare
Sorry; this was a tasteless recipe. Maybe it had to do with artichokes themselves, but this recipe did nothing for them.
Michele
Hm, it says to put the artichokes in the pan cut side down, but nowhere does it tell you to cut them, or how.
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