Artichokes bring the heart of spring

By Kady Guyton
April 6, 2009

A personal sign that spring is one the way is when I wake up one morning craving green things: asparagus, snap peas and artichokes among other things. After being confronted by large piles of spiky globes in every grocery store I entered, I decided to give in.

Fresh artichokes are a very different beast from the cans of artichoke hearts that can be found in the condiment aisle. For one thing, they are a lot more work. A very sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears is required for preparation. Another factor to keep in mind is that three-fourths is entirely inedible. Despite knowing this, I'm always a little shocked at the large pile of compost compared to what I actually consumed.

Preparing artichokes is not difficult, just a little time consuming. The only rule to keep in mind is to not be stingy with the lemon. Once sliced, artichokes will begin to turn brown before your eyes unless they are submerged in a bowl of cold lemon water. They also cook better with lemon or another acid added to the water.

This particular dish was hunted up out of the desire to prepare artichokes in a different way. The preparation involves removing most of the outer leaves until there's nothing left but the tender inner leaves and the heart. If a mandolin is part of your kitchen arsenal, then this is a good place to use it. Otherwise, make sure your knife is very sharp and be careful. The artichoke slices should be about 1/8 inch thick.

"Confite" means "to cook in it's own fat". Duck cooked in duck fat: duck confit, bacon cooked in bacon fat: bacon confit. Artichokes have no fat, so they are cooked in olive oil. The olive oil, garlic and rosemary all combine to make a rich flavorful sauce for the shrimp. Serve with a crusty bread.

This is one of those rare dishes that tastes much better than it looks. The final product will be a pile of olive green shreds with pink shrimp. Don't be put off by that. The flavor is intensely green with bright pops of lemon and garlic. Pour a nice crisp chablis and enjoy with the windows open to catch the breeze.

Shrimp with Confited Artichokes
Recipe courtesy of The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 pounds artichokes
2 lemons
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 fresh rosemary sprigs

Squeeze one lemon into a medium bowl filled with cold water. Remove tough outer leaves (4-5 layers) of the artichokes and trim off the top half inch. Trim the stem to 1/4 inch.

Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the artichokes into 1/8 inch slices. Move the slices to the lemon water as you go.

Drain the artichokes well and add them to a heated medium skillet, along with everything but the shrimp. Cover and cook over medium-low until the artichokes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the shrimp in a single layer and increase the heat slightly. Cook until the shrimp are pink and slightly opaque. Add the juice of the second lemon and serve warm.