Braised Artichokes with Mignonette
These appetizer-style artichokes are perfect with a cold rosé on a hot summer day. They are best served at room temperature—or even chilled—so plan on making them at least a few hours ahead of time. There are several variables that can affect cooking times for artichokes, including size, freshness, or which variety you have. Check your artichokes after 1 hour of cooking, but larger or less-fresh artichokes may take up to 1½ hours to become tender.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 6 small artichokes or 3 large artichokes, leaf tips trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine water and the lemon juice in a large stainless steel or enameled braising pot or oven-going skillet. Remove the loose lower leaves from the stem ends of the artichokes. Trim leaf tips as needed. Halve small artichokes or quarter large artichokes lengthwise and immediately place, cut sides down, into lemon-water to prevent browning. Using a small spoon, carefully scrape inner thistle "choke" from inside the heart of the artichokes and discard. Arrange artichokes in a single layer in pot.
- Add garlic to pot. Drizzle artichokes with 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp. of the salt and ½ tsp. of the pepper. Cover and bring to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise in oven about 1 hour or until artichoke stems are fork-tender and a leaf comes loose when pulled gently. Let cool, covered, until room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine red wine vinegar, parsley, shallot, and the remaining ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Spoon over cooled artichokes. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil.