Artichokes, these classic delicacies can be a little daunting to prepare at home but trust me, it’s so much easier than you think. If anyone tells you this, they are wildly exaggerating. This is what I read on numerous blogs and the pep talk I gave myself before I began my virgin voyage. I watched countless videos on how to prep, serve, and eat the little suckers, and in the end, it was me that choked. Artichokes are funky, and you can’t fake the funk.
Artichokes are one of those odd vegetables that are often considered luxurious, not because they’re particularly difficult to find or grow, but because they’re so gosh-darn confusing. I’ve eaten my weight in jarred and canned artichokes but never a whole one. With extra time on my hands, I wanted to check off another culinary item on my bucket list. This nothing ventured, nothing gained approach to cooking sometimes comes with epic fails.
Even once you figure out how to cook them, there’s the question of which bits you can actually eat, how to get the meat off the leaves, what you can serve them with – the list of questions is seemingly endless. In reality, the difficulty seems to come from the lack of popular knowledge about preparing artichokes and not from any real trickiness to their preparation itself. According to tutorials, with a little elbow grease and a lot of lemon, anyone can prepare gorgeous, fresh artichokes right in their own kitchen. Let me tell you, there were not enough lemons in the world that could have saved mine.
Did you know that artichokes are members of the thistle family, and the portion of the plant that is eaten is in fact a flower bud that has yet to bloom? I guess that explains why they were such a thorn in my side. Though artichokes are deserving of their difficult reputation as delicacies, these little beauties also contain the highest levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, as well as, other compounds of any known vegetable vital to maintaining healthy organ function.
Okie dokie artichokie, while your funkiness beat me this time, I still think your kind of groovy. As long as you come in a jar, I plan on eating my heart out of you tonight.
Creamy Artichoke, Kale and White Bean Bucatini
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- zest from 1 lemon, plus lemon juice for serving
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound dry bucatini, linguine or similar long cut pasta
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, finely chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1 (12 ounces) jar marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
- 1 (14 ounces) can white beans, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces burrata cheese (about 2-3 balls)
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallot and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and red pepper flakes, cook another minute. Slowly add 4 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, the pasta, and kale. Increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the pasta is al dente, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, pesto, artichokes, and beans. Season, to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, until warmed throughout and the pasta, is creamy. Remove from the heat, stir the basil and dill.
- Divide the pasta between plates and break the burrata over each serving of pasta. Top with pine nuts, additional herbs, lemon juice, and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
