celebrate september with artichokes!

beginner, intermediate and advanced recipes

For the complete beginner

Buy some canned artichokes. That’s it; that’s the recipe.

Seriously, though, you can do anything with them! Make them into a salad. Cook them with fish or chicken.

Or, my personal recommendation: drain some canned artichokes, put them in an an oven-safe dish, pour cheese on top, and pop them in the oven until the cheese melts.

They’re just really tasty and salty and I love them. I hope you enjoy them too!

For the experienced home cook

I made a delicious artichoke frittata yesterday. (The baby was not a fan, but the baby’s taste is suspect.)

I try to always keep a couple cans of artichokes around the house as a day-before-grocery-delivery vegetable, the same way I always keep a bag of peas in the freezer. I just used up a bunch of the vegetables I had lying around - onion, red pepper, mushrooms - and threw some grated cheddar cheese on top.

For a vegan option, I’ll take three or four vegetables and roast them with a good coating of fresh olive oil and salt, then serve with couscous rehydrated in vegetable stock. It’s so easy, and canned artichokes make it that much easier.

Once or twice, I’ve tried my luck with fresh artichokes. I’ve never found the worth my time, but on the other hand, I’ve never tried this particular recipe. Love and Lemons has a great artichoke explainer, and this recipe for roasted artichoke salad with spinach pea and mint pesto looks delicious and fresh.

For the gourmet

For something a little more ambitious, take on Peter Gordon’s freekeh and artichoke salad. Freekeh is a smoky, roasted grain. Add cumin, corn and pomegranate for lunch in as little as 45 minutes.

Up for the challenge? Report back and let me know how it goes.