Roasted pepper and artichoke puffs

Saturday night I am taking one of my favorite hors d'oeuvre to a party. Usually I avoid recipes with more ingredients than I have fingers, but this one is worth the extra effort. It really isn't very difficult either.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Melt 2 T unsalted butter in a pan. Add 1 bunch of finely chopped green onions and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cook until softened, and place in a bowl.

Add to the bowl, 1 can of artichoke bottoms chopped, 3 oz. prosciutto chopped, a handful of chopped basil, 1/2 c. Parmesan grated, 1/2 c. Gruyere grated, 1 T lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Combine, then add 1/2 c. mayonnaise to bind. Put in the fridge for an hour.

Meanwhile, remove the seeds and stems from 3 red or yellow bell peppers and cut the peppers into 2" squares and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle w/ 1/4 c. olive oil and 2 T balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Preheat the broiler. Remove the artichoke mixture from the fridge. Mound 2 t. of the artichoke mixture onto each pepper square. Arrange on a baking sheet and broil about 2 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. Let cool for a minute or two and serve.

Pasta Raphael: great for vegetarians

This is one of my favorite recipes. I've not made it in a while because I had a boyfriend who didn't like artichokes! That should have been a sign.

It reminds me of two good friends every time I make it. For me, cooking has a lot to do with memories. There are dishes that remind me of occasions I've spent with certain people. This recipe is loaded with memories!

It comes courtesy of The New Basics Cookbook by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins:

Pasta Sauce Raphael

2 jars (6 oz. Each) marinated artichoke hearts in oil
¼ c. olive oil
2 c. chopped onions
2 T. minced garlic
½ t. dried oregano
½ t. dried basil
1 T. coarsely ground black pepper
½ t. salt
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 can plum tomatoes w/ their juices
¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf parsley)

1. Drain artichokes and reserve marinade
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, oregano, basil, black pepper, pepper flakes, and marinade. Saute over medium heat until onions and garlic are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes
4. Add artichokes, Parmesan and parsley. Stir gently and simmer 5 minutes.

*the black pepper and pepper flakes make it very spicy; adjust according to taste.

Serves 6, enough for 1 lb of pasta.

Artichokes w/ goat cheese

One of my all time favorite recipes is from Bon Appetit April 1995. It is whole artichokes stuffed w/ goat cheese, garlic, thyme and cream then baked. Here is the recipe at epicurious.com

What makes this recipe absolutely delicious is the combination of melted butter and olive oil on each plate that the artichoke sits atop. As you pull apart the artichoke, the goat cheese, butter and oil ooze together into a wonderful tasty mess! This dish is a great starter course for an elegant dinner.

A word about the artichokes: before boiling them, trim the pointy, sharp ends off of the leaves w/ scissors. They will be much easier to handle later without the thorny ends. Let the artichoke cool before you start to pull the choke (the hairy part) out of the middle. Use a small spoon to scrape out the choke gently. When you boil them, throw in a bay leaf and a little salt w/ the lemon juice. Use artichokes in the spring when they are in season. Artichokes out of season are as bad as tomatoes out of season.