Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Bites Perfect Foods: Fresh Steamed Artichoke Hearts
Posted by Lee Stabert on Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 4:27 PM
A couple of weeks ago, Top Chef's "Last Supper" Challenge got me thinking about my own final bites. Like most of the culinary luminaries on Top Chef, I found myself yearning for the simple foods of my childhood.
I know I would definitely eat an entire challah (I have a problem), warmed in the oven and dipped in jus from a roasted chicken (the actual chicken need not be present). I would love a matzo ball soup starter, maybe with half a hot pastrami sandwich on the side. Maybe some cold poached salmon with dill cream sauce? Spicy Moroccan lamb sausage? Jersey tomatoes? Back Bay Seafood baked crab cakes with cole slaw? There would be brownies, cheesecake and tiramisu for desert. And I would also include another Wolfe-Stabert family staple, one I relished on Tuesday: the steamed artichoke heart.
When I was young, we would often have steamed artichokes as a first course. The leaves are delish and fun to eat, but it's the tender heart, protected by it's fuzzy little overcoat that makes my eyes roll back with pleasure. I don't know if it's the work it takes to get there or the simple magic of the dense but sinewy heart's slow dance with melted butter, but I am fairly convinced that this is the perfect bite of food. You finally get to it, clean it, and then it's gone in an instant, only a memory.
All those fresh artichoke hearts have completely ruined me for the canned variety. They bear no resemblance to the green jewels of my youth. I don't even like them.
So, what would make it onto your final menu? Is there anywhere in town that serves fresh artichokes? Is nostalgia clouding my judgment or are these things really that good?
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Chachah has them on the tapas menu -- they're steamed and have smoked sea salt sparingly applied, served with a side of what tasted to me like lemon vinagrette. They're served cut in half, with part of the diced heart sitting inside one of the hollowed out shell.
I watched someone at another table that ordered one of them carefully spoon out the heart pieces and then leave the rest of the articoke sitting there. Horrors.
Never touched the leaves, which have a little bit of tastiness at the bottom where they're removed from the pod -- nor did they explore the bit near the stem, where a good (50%) portion of the heart (the best part nearest the stem) was left intact. They struck me as someone who had never eaten an artichoke before, who bought it only because they had a thing for smoked sea salt.
I am usually against specific kitchen gadgets that only have one use, but I do have a little wire contraption similar to this that holds one perfectly in about a half inch of water. I got it in the middle of an artichoke field down around Monterrey, California. They had a stand set up where you could buy fresh-cut artichokes and these things and nothing else. I know I could just use a colander over some water, but this makes it better because it makes me remember that day in the artichoke field.
And I like that I can feel fancy at home, dining on a steamed artichoke. Ooo la la.
Funny you should mention steamed artichokes. I have tried the artichoke at ChaChah and it was wonderful. So, on Sunday, when I saw the artichokes for a reasonable price at Trader Joe's I picked one up and followed the directions on how to steam it on the tag hanging from the stem. Very easy and very yummy. I sprinkled with regular table salt (don't have the fancy sea stuff) and sprinkled some fresh lemon pepper (from one of those handy grinders you can get in the store) on it. I also mixed some more lemon pepper and olive oil on the side for dipping.
Barbara -- While that is a ridiculously specific utensil--and Alton Brown would disapprove--I think its use as a souvenir more than justifies owning it. I'm jealous. Then again, I don't have a colander either, except for the plastic one they gave me at K&S market with no explanation.
We have a new way we're serving artichokes at our house that I call "popcorn butter.' I pop half a teaspoon of mustard seeds in 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in a tiny skillet with the lid on. Then stir the seeds and oil into 3 tablespoons of melted butter-- it tastes like popcorn and we dip the artichoke leaves in it.
And Carrington, once K&S gave me a case of frozen Korean fruit and yogurt drink. They said it was free with a purchase of ... I don't know. Something.
