If you were intrigued by our baby purple artichoke salad idea, or perhaps have eaten one at I Sodi in the West Village, here is the recipe to this incredibly delicate and interesting summer favorite from Nice.
Crafted over there as this type of artichoke is widely available in Nice but unfortunately not here in the US, if you can find them around NYC, sometimes available in season at Wegman’s, give this recipe a try. It’s very easy to make. You will also need the finest olive oil.
I would recommend a grassy Sicilian one or this fine organic olive oil from Chateau de Montfrin made with catalan origin olives boasting hints of rosemary, grass and… yes artichoke!
Baby Purple Artichoke Salad with Parmesan and Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 8 firm baby purple artichokes or 4 regular size purple artichokes
- At least 3 TBSP of good grassy olive oil
- 1 lemon
- Parmesan shavings
- Fresh or Roasted Cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Olives Nicoises (optional)
- 4 anchovy fillets (optional)
- Pine Nuts (optional)
- Chives (optional)
- Salt & Pepper
Directions
- Wash the artickokes and lightly blanch them 5 to 10 min in boiling water with salt. Normaly you would eat them completely raw, but it helps to slightly blanch them in case they are too hard.
- Drain them under cold running water.
- Prepare the artichokes by discarding most of the stem, the first layer of outer leaves and cut off the tip. Cut them in half, and discard all the choke at the center.
- Mince them as thinly as possible, while drizzling with the juice of a whole lemon so that the artichokes don’t blacken.
- Place the thinly minced artichokes on a plate previously dressed with Arugula, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a good amount of olive oil.
- Add a couple black olives of Nice, shave a good amount of parmesan on top, and add optional roasted or fresh cherry tomatoes, radish, and anchovy fillets if you’d like. You could also mix in chopped or pureed anchovies in the tomatoes if you wish to add them to the salad to give it a true niçois taste. Go easy on the salt if so.
- Voila! Now enjoy with a side of good bread and perhaps a glass of rosé or white wine, or may I recommend a Marguerite de Provence rinsed in Pastis cocktail?
It’s all about the baby purple artichokes. So go find them!
