Artichokes Braised in Olive Oil
and White Wine

Food and Wine 2000:
n Entire Year's Recipes from
America's Favorite Food Magazine
Food & Wine Books, Editor in Chief Judith Hill,
2000, American Express Publishing Corp.

1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a large bowl of water. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, snap off the outer leaves and trim off all but 1/2
inch of the stem. Using a sharp knife, cut off the remaining leaves at
the top of the heart and peel the base and stem. Using a spoon or a
melon baller, scoop out the furry choke. Add the artichoke to the
lemon water.
2. In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks, celery, onion
and carrot and cook over low heat, stirring often, until softened but
not browned, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fra-
grant, about 1 minute.
3. Drain the artichokes and add them to the skillet in a single layer. Tuck
the thyme, tarragon and bay leaves in between the artichokes and
season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and water; cover partially
and braise over moderately low heat until tender, about 40 minutes.
Discard the herbs.
4. Meanwhile, blanch the peas, asparagus, fennel and haricots verts separately in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 5 minutes for
the peas and fennel and 3 to 4 minutes for the asparagus and hari-
cots verts. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to paper
towels to drain after they are cooked.
5. Mound the peas, asparagus, fennel and haricots verts in soup plates
and add some of the braised vegetables and liquid. Season with
salt and pepper. Set an artichoke on top and fill with diced tomato.
Scatter the mixed herbs over the top and serve warm.
- Tom Colicchio