How to make
This is an extremely easy and quick way to prepare artichokes. They are ideal for appetizers, side dishes or just a snack with a glass of wine. It would take the most time to clean the artichokes for this recipe, but with a little practice you will see, that this is actually an easy task.
If you have small, tender artichoke heads, simply remove the outer hard leaves and cut them into slices. It is important to know, that if you buy them with stalks, they are also edible and you only need to cut about 3 cm from the base and the remaining stalk is peeled from the outer layer, in order to reach the lighter core.
You can throw away the rest of the stalk or prepare a wonderful healthy decoction along with the peeled leaves. Rub the chopped artichokes or drizzle them with lemon juice, so that they do not darken.
If the artichoke heads you bought are larger and harder, you will need to peel them as described and blanch them whole for about 10 minutes or steam them for the same amount of time. This will soften them and ensure their tenderness.
After blanching, it is extremely important to leave them to drain well and then dry and cut them.
In order to pan-sear them, you need to heat 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil over medium to high heat - the more aromatic the olive oil, the better.
Bake each piece, until it aquires a golden brown color on both sides and then arrange them on a plate, by drizzling them with more lemon juice, aromatic olive oil, black pepper and coarse flaky salt.
Advice: Do not prepare the recipe with frozen artichokes or canned ones (sterilized), but only with fresh.
Good luck and enjoy!
