Friday, July 6, 2007

Herb Braised Artichokes - All rise, the "Court Bouillon" is now in session

I've had a few requests for an artichoke demo, so I thought I would show you one of my favorite ways to cook them. This is a variation of an old recipe my Uncle Bill showed me years ago. He uses dried herbs in his, but I had an oregano plant that needed a serious pruning and so I went with the fresh stuff. This method is sort of a cross between the two most popular ways to do artichokes; steaming or boiling, which is why I called it braised. As you'll see, I basically simmer the artichoke in a small amount of liquid so they are actually more like steamed artichokes than boiled ones (which can dilute the flavor somewhat).

As far as official culinary terminology goes, the liquid I'm using is referred to as a "Court Bouillon." This is simply a flavorful cooking liquid made of water, salt, and some type of acid (usually vinegar or wine). It is traditionally used to poach shellfish and other seafood, but works great for artichokes.

The video recipe is very straight forward, so no need for any long-winded post today. Not to mention it's Friday! I enjoyed my artichokes with a simple squeeze of lemon, but below you will see links to several video recipes I've already posted that would work great as a dip for this. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 large globe artichokes
2 cloves fresh garlic
3 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 bunch fresh oregano, or 2 tbl dried (or any other herb combo you like)
1 tbl salt
black pepper to taste

*Serve with fresh lemon or one of the video recipes linked below:
Tarragon Aioli
Citronette
Blood Orange Tapenade

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

very nice! Let me know when you post the Speedo clip. ; )

Anonymous said...

Haha... but seriously did you buy and have to tell us you have a Speedo?! Looks sorta good...by the way have you checked out the "Kwik-E- Marts"(7-11) the have Simpson collectibles. Such as the Squishee, comics, and so on. Yesterday the line was so long people had to wait around the block!!! Maybe there might be one in San Fransicso? But they have one in Burbank.

Chef John said...

I'll have to check it out, Thanks.
Of course I bought a Speedo. With a body like mine, why not show it off?? ; )

Anonymous said...

Seriously people, he won't even look into the camera. IF he did have a Speedo, he'd wear a bag over his...well you know, he wouldn't show his face.

Chef John, I dare you to wear your supposed Speedo, then bend over and put something in your oven (Maybe demo a nice rump roast? ), as you did in that earlier clip with the yams.

(That 50% Italian heritage = a hairy, sooooo sexy, body.)

Admin said...

Hi John,
Your blog's really good. I too have a recipe blog, would u be interested in link exchange?
My recipe blog link is-
http://collectionofamazingrecipes.blogspot.com/

Chef John said...

Sure,link me in as "Food Wishes Video Recipes"

Anonymous said...

These are one of the few veggies my son will actually eat.
Catherine, the redhead
PS. Your wish is my command - I added you to my links on my blog.

Anonymous said...

I made these today as a mid-afternoon snack for my wife and me. Absolutely wonderful! I love artichokes in general, but these -- so simple to prepare -- turned out great! They didn't need a dipping sauce in my opinion -- we just dove in after letting them cook in the braising liquid, uncovered, for about ten minutes.

Will definitely make these again!

Thanks Chef John!

Anonymous said...

Sorry -- to clarify, I did cook these as directed, for about 45 minutes. I let them drain uncovered in the braising liquid before eating!