I love artichokes, a member of the thistle family that is problematic to grow (it demands a climate with regular fogs) and just as difficult to prepare. Cooking artichokes from raw can be a chore — the sharp leaves prick the skin, and peeling the vegetables down to their heart takes a good amount of work.
The best alternative to fresh is frozen artichoke hearts: Unlike canned, they don’t have a preservative like citric acid to blunt their clean flavor.
I tend to prefer artichokes with anything Mediterranean: red mullet, lamb, feta, anchovies, capers, tomatoes and olives.
This artichoke spread is made by stewing the artichoke hearts in olive oil with a good amount of onion, puréeng them with some parmesan, chile flakes, whole parsley leaves and olive oil, and slathering the spread on crispy bread topped with pitted black olives and shavings of parmesan.
Note: If you want to spend a little extra, substitute basil for the parsley in the recipe. Artichokes and basil are a marriage made in heaven.
Artichoke Toasts with Black Olives and Shaved Parmesan
Makes about 8 pieces.
Ingredients
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup minced red or yellow onion
2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and sliced
⅓ cup Italian parsley leaves
⅓ cup grated Parmesan plus small piece for shaving
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch chile flakes
Salt
8 slices baguette, toasted
16 pitted black olives
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a medium sauté pan over low-medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat about 10 minutes. Add the artichokes, a pinch salt and a pinch of chile flakes. Turn heat to low and cook about 10 minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool a little. Transfer to a food processor and blend along with the parsley, Parmesan and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning, and refrigerate covered until ready to use.
To make the toasts, allow the artichoke mixture to come to room temperature. Spread generously on toasts and top each toast with two olives and a shaving of Parmesan.
