Serves 8 as a side
INGREDIENTS:
- 12 fresh baby artichokes, peeled and quartered
- water with the juice of one lemon for holding quartered artichokes
- 4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 -inch pieces
- 1 1/2-2 cups water for steaming veggies
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbs butter
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Dan Eaton shows us how to make Artichokes, Peas and Carrots, the perfect side dish that is full of flavor.
PROCEDURE:
There is a little bit of work involved getting the baby artichokes ready to cook. Peel off the outer, darker green leaves until you get to the lighter colored green center and then cut off the top third of the artichoke. Next, use your knife to cut the artichoke at an angle, towards the stem, removing the outer, more fibrous part of the stem and then cut it lengthwise into quarters. Toss them into a bowl of water, with the juice of a lemon squeezed into it, to help keep the artichokes from turning brown. (If you only have enough lemon juice to use for finishing the dish on the stove top, you could actually substitute a splash of white vinegar in the bowl of water.)
Plan on about the same amount of carrots as baby artichokes and get started by cooking those first in a little water, on high heat, with a tightly fitting lid. After the carrots have been going for a minute or two, add the artichoke hearts and put the lid back on. (Keep your eye on the amount of water in the pan because you want enough to steam the vegetables but you want most of it to be gone by the time the vegetables are done.) After the artichokes have been steaming for about 5 minutes, add a couple of Tbs of butter and the frozen peas, season it with salt and pepper and keep cooking it with the lid off until the butter is melted. All that's left is to finish it with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice and toss in a handful of fresh chopped mint and it's ready to go.
HINTS:
Serve along side any simply cooked meat or fish. This recipe is easily halved for fewer servings.