Artichoke Potato Gratin

While perusing the cheeses at the supermarket, I decided I really wanted some good provolone. So I got some yummy, fresh, full of taste provolone cheese sliced at the deli for sandwiches & at the same time, some extra for a gratin. I had these gorgeous baby yukon potatoes at home... And felt that artichokes would complete the flavor profile I wanted. I was right... so delish...

<3 Lishie
Artichoke Potato Gratin

• 1 lb baby yukon potatoes, washed, skin on
• 14 oz artichoke hearts, chopped
• S & P
• 1/4 lb provolone, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c chicken stock (or veggie stock)
• grated parmesan cheese to top
• 1-2 pats of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil or butter a baking ramekin (I used a 3 Qt size)
Slice the potatoes thinly or use a mandoline (I used the latter). Place 1 layer of potato slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle half the artichoke pieces over the potato layer. Add salt & pepper. Layer more potato slices. Top with provolone cheese... Another layer of potato slices, 2nd half of artichoke pieces, salt & pepper... Top & last layer of potato slices... Pour in the chicken stock.
Top off with a little grated parmesan cheese & butter pats.
Bake, covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes. Take off foil, bake another 15 minutes till browned.Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting & serving.

Happy National Artichoke Hearts Day

 

March 16, 2013 is National Artichoke Hearts Day

Today is National Artichoke Hearts Day! Artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to man. The plant originated in the Mediterranean region and is part of the sunflower family. According to Greek mythology, Zeus turned his mistress Cynara into the first artichoke plant when he caught her sneaking away from Olympia.   Although we usually refer to it as a vegetable, the produce we eat is actually the flower bud of the artichoke plant. If you let the flower blossom, it turns a beautiful violet-blue color. People enjoy artichokes boiled, baked, steamed, grilled, deep fried, and stuffed with all sorts of yummy fillings.Almost every artichoke produced in the United States comes from California. Did you know that the town of Castroville, California crowned its first “Artichoke Queen” in 1947? The winner was a young actress named Norma Jean Mortenson who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe!

To celebrate National Artichoke Hearts Day, try out a new artichoke recipe for dinner tonight!

Like this one:

 DeLish DeMaria's Favorite Artichoke Pasta  

<3 Lishie

Favorite Artichoke Pasta

We have a really good Student Food Courts at NYU, & this recipe was conceived from a lunch I had at the Kimmel Center Market Place Pasta station... You pick your pasta, your sauce & items to put in the sauce, just like a salad bar. And these are mouth-watering sauces & additions. I wanted to replicate the lunch at home for my family & lo & behold, it has become a staple in our house!!! I've dubbed it "our favorite artichoke pasta". But you can call it what you like! :) <3 Lishie

Favorite Artichoke Pasta

• 1 lb. medium pasta shells
• 1 TBSp olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 3 oz. chopped pancetta (or bacon, can be turkey)
• 1 can of artichokes in water, drained
• 1 can petite, diced tomatoes in sauce
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 c shredded mozzarella
• fresh parsley
• grated parmesan, optional

Cook the pasta to box instructions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil on medium, add the shallot for a minute. Add the pancetta, stir for a minute. Add the artichokes & allow to cook for a couple of minutes, "dry out". Pour in the tomato sauce & the full clove of crushed garlic. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes. Pull out the garlic clove with tongs; discard. Add in the mozzarella, stir. Top with fresh parsley; Serve w/grated parmesan, optional.

Recipe Swap~ Blogger's Choice!

For this swap, called the “Blogger's Choice” Swap, we were given a fellow blogger’s URL & told we can choose any recipe off the blog!!! Well, I received my friend Feisty (aka Christina)’s Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen! Woohoo!!! I read her blog often & had just printed out: Quick Chicken Vesuvio. It sounded right up our alley. We love Giada’s Chicken Vesuvio & this also has quick in the title. Win/win... When I bookmarked it to make (i.e. stashed the idea in my head), I had already added artichokes. Then, when hubby & I went shopping, I forgot potatoes. This makes me extremely sad. I love the taters. Hubby didn’t mind since we also love artichokes & (if you can believe it), potatoes are a second thought to him.

I went ahead & made this even faster & easier. How? I used ONE skillet. Yes, only one… Without the added time of the potatoes, it worked well. And subtracted the peas. Served it with fresh baked crescent rolls.

Great for a working, cooking, homework assisting mom & her family! Thank you so much Feisty & thank you, Sarah @ A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting the swap as usual!

PS- look at the Everyday with Rachael Ray April 2012 INGREDIENTS list… Do you see a typo? 2   pounds  Salt and pepper Ummmm TWO POUNDS of S&P?!? LOL

Quick Chicken Vesuvio 

adapted from:  Everyday with Rachael Ray April 2012 

via Tales From the Madmen Kitchen

• 1/3 - 1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
• 1 tsp dried oregano, lightly crushed 
• Salt & pepper
• 1 can of artichokes in water, drained 
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into large chunks 
• 1/2 c Flour, for coating
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1/4 c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 c of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic &  oregano & S & P & artichokes. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. “Spatula” it over to the outskirts/sides of the pan. Add a little more olive oil into the cleared center. Season the chicken liberally with s & p & coat in flour. Brown the chicken on each side until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine & stock. Transfer the skillet into the oven. Roast to cook the chicken through, 10 to 12 minutes. Top with the parsley.

Spring Pasta

Another quick & easy, spring-time pasta. I love these options on a work night. And I LOVE artichokes, do you?

<3 Lishie

Spring Pasta

• 1 package farfalle pasta, cooked
• 3 TBSp olive oil 
• 2 cloves, garlic, minced
• 1 container grape tomatoes
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts (in water)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
• 2 TBSp fresh parsley, chopped
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss the pasta with the olive oil & minced garlic as soon as it is cooked... add the tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella & parsley...Toss. Add S & P, to taste. Serve!

Chicken with Artichoke & Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

Ha ha... has THIS ever happened to you? I had the chicken fresh, dinner ready in the fridge... easy raw tenders. Came home from work completely devoid of the idea of what to cook I had imagined on Sunday prep in the 1st place?!?  An empty brain!

So I ask my hubby, do you want breaded chicken?
Him: No.
Me: OK, what do you want?
Him: Don't know. Don't you have something you want to make?
Me: No, that is why I'm asking you!
Him: Well I don't know- you are not giving me any ideas!
Me: :::exasperated::: & just tired::: OK, I'll figure something out...

Twenty minutes later... Voilà!  I had "chicken with artichoke & mushrooms in a white wine sauce". Easy peasy but sure impressed the hubby. But he still said... Him: The colors are all the same. Urgh.

Chicken with Artichoke & Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce

• 1-2 TBSp Canola Oil
• 1 pat of butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup button mushrooms, sliced & chopped
• 1 lb boneless chicken, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts in water
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine

Heat the oil on medium in a saute pan, add onion... Stir. Add the butter... as the butter melts, add the mushrooms. Stir & cook for a minute. Add the chicken pieces. Allow chicken to brown lightly on all sides, stirring... Add the artichokes until warmed, about a minute... Add the wine... Allow the wine to cook out & the chicken to finish cooking, about 3-4 more minutes. Serve.

<3 Lishie

Artichoke Pasta Salad

One of the necessities of summer? A quick, simple, "go to" dish that is delicious & packed with flavor but doesn't require drudging over the stove, near the oven or even, gasp, over the grill! Our family, including my toddler, LOVES this. I especially love it because it is oh so fast... & yummy! Plus it is great as a side salad for a bbq, since there's no mayo & you can very easily add fresh mozzarella or steamed veggies or roasted red pepper... even grilled shrimp or sliced grilled chicken to the meal!


We love it like this: 


Lemon Artichoke Pasta

• 1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
• lemon zest/ juice from 2 fresh Lemons (make sure they are not too tart!) 
• 1/4 grated Parmesan Cheese
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 TBSP each of fresh, chopped Parsley & Basil
• 1 lb. cooked Pasta (*I love farfalle for this & this is the ONLY cooking of the entire recipe!)
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts, I cut them into quarters (you can also used frozen, just thaw & warm in the microwave)

Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest & juice, parmesan, S&P, parsley & basil in the bottom of a large bowl. 
Add the artichokes & lightly toss. When the pasta is cooked, I add it steaming hot & toss all of the ingredients together like it's a salad... The lemon scent wafts from the bowl!!!


And please do not forget to enter my Melissa & Doug GIVEAWAY!

Chicken Vesuvio (chicken of volcanic portions)

My family loves this simple, rustic meal. It definitely has a lot of taste, the chicken is juicy, & it's easy to make on a weeknight with my adaptations & preparation methods.

I always need familiar dishes for when I am not feeling well. So I had a whole chicken in the fridge, waiting to be cooked & I was set to make a whole other dish... but not the energy... Enter: Chicken Vesuvio, a Giada De Laurentiis "go to" meal.

I 

I prep it & partially cook the dinner the night before so I can come home, slip my Dutch oven into the oven, & have dinner on the table within an hour.  With this in mind, I began this dish on Wednesday night & finished it tonight- Thursday.
And boy was it delish! :)

Here's what I did:

Chicken Vesuvio

(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole Chicken, pieced (Giblets removed)
• S & P
• 1 lb new potatoes, halved
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped into 2" pieces
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 & 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 can artichoke hearts 
• 
  

Heat the oil in large in a Dutch oven (or heavy pot) over high heat. S & P the chicken, then brown the chicken pieces on each side working in batches, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Brown the potatoes in the same pot & then add the celery, saute it for another minute. Add the whole garlic cloves, just smashed. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the water, oregano, & thyme. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.


This is where I turn off the heat, allow the dutch oven to cool, then place it in the fridge, covered first, with plastic wrap. And second, with the lid, to chill overnight till I get home the next day.

Next day... In the door... Oven at 450. Take off the cover & place inside the oven to bake, about 30 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through & the entire contents of the pot are steaming hot & the liquid is bubbling. Add in the artichoke hearts & cook, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes. 


Transfer the chicken to a platter & arrange the potatoes, celery & artichoke hearts around the chicken. 
Serve & enjoy!

*Lishie tips- Placing the dutch oven into bake uncovered allows the chicken to crisp more. 
Adding the extra water allows for this to also be a good slowcooker meal. 
And not adding the butter at the end takes away fat. 


PS- Giada calls it Vesuvio after the volcanic mountain in Italy... for the steam that arises from the pot.

Groundhog Stew (Lemon Pasta & Artichokes)

OK, OK, just kidding but perhaps the little fur-ball heard me because spring has been predicted early. That being said, today wasn't just busy for the Punxsutawney Phils, Staten Island Chucks & Lantana Lous of the world, it was busy for me too. So, some pasta dishes are really, fast easy & delish, like my lemon pasta & artichokes.

Lemon Pasta & Artichokes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
lemon zest/ juice from 2 fresh lemons
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
fresh, chopped parsley
Kosher Salt & White Pepper
1 lb. cooked pasta (i love farfalle for this)
2 cans of artichoke hearts, I cut them into quarters (you can also used frozen, just thaw in the microwave)
steamed broccoli (I pre-steam it) Optional

I mix the olive oil, Lemon zest & juice,  parmesan & parsley in the bottom of a bowl, then add the veg, then when the pasta is cooked, I add it steaming hot and mix it like it's salad... everything smells yummy & comes together! Sometimes, at the end, I add fresh cubes of mozzarella too! Or roasted red pepper.


DELISH & so easy.