Tag: artichokes

Cooking artichoke stems: delicious zero waste recipe – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Cook the artichoke stems it’s a great way to avoid waste in the kitchen. Often only the hearts of the artichoke are used and therefore today we bring to the table a first course based on artichoke stems, in order to also enhance this part which is often thrown away.

Artichokes: spring treasure

Artichokes are a vegetable whose season runs from March to June. They are rich in proteinsbut also of fibers and are suitable for multiple uses in the kitchen. They are often cooked fried, but also sautéed or stewed. They can accompany second courses or they can become a single dish.
They have a shape similar to a flower and are composed of an upper part, also called heart of the artichokeand from the stem.
The outer leaves of the artichoke are not edible as is the beard found inside. In many recipes only the heart of the artichoke is used, but the stems can be recovered and consumed after removing the outermost bark which is hard and stringy and therefore not edible.

We used artichoke stems to prepare a really tasty and simple to make pasta based on ricotta and walnuts.

Pasta with artichoke stem pesto, ricotta and walnuts: the recipe

Pasta with artichoke stem pestoMarta Tovaglieri

Ingredients

320 g of short pasta such as fusilloni
2 artichoke stems
1 shallot
100 g of cow’s milk ricotta
5 walnuts plus a couple for serving
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Method

Clean the artichoke stems: cut the outermost part of the stems and then peel them with a potato peeler to remove the hardest and stringy part. Cut them into cubes.
Peel and chop a shallot with a knife. Heat a large pan and brown the shallot with a generous drop of extra virgin olive oil.
Also add the artichoke stems and cook until they are soft. If necessary, add a drizzle of water. Season with salt.
Place the cooked artichokes in the glass of an immersion blender. Add the ricotta and the shelled walnuts. Blend well and then season with salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water. Add two ladles of cooking water to the artichoke and ricotta pesto to make it softer and velvety.
You do skip the pasta with the artichoke stem pesto and serve with a few pieces of walnut.

Artichoke stem pesto: other uses in the kitchen

Artichoke stem pesto is an excellent condiment for pasta, but can also be served on hot toasted bread, for an unusual and tasty appetizer. For an extra touch, you can also add fresh chili pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Recipe Risotto with turmeric, fried artichokes and robiola – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Step 1

Peel the turmeric (wear gloves so as not to stain your hands: its color is very intense). Cut it into small pieces.

Step 2

Brown it in a pan with a drizzle of oil and 1 small chopped shallot. Wet with 1 glass of water and let the turmeric cook for about 10 minutes, until it has softened and the water has evaporated.

Step 3

Toast the rice in the pan, add a splash of white wine.

Step 4

Add salt and cook the rice by adding boiling water a little at a time, as in a classic risotto.

Step 5

Clean the artichokes and cut them into thin slices. Lightly flour them then fry them in a small saucepan with 3 cm of seed oil, a few at a time, for a few seconds. Drain them on kitchen paper and keep them warm.

Step 6

Serve the risotto completing it with the robiola (you can stir it in or serve it on top) and the fried artichokes.

Recipe: Sara Foschini, Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada

Artichokes stuffed with ricotta – Recipe by – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

First of all, clean the artichokes (here is the guide to do it best, I suggest you wear disposable gloves before starting) by removing the tips, stem, external leaves and beard.

Leave them for 10 minutes in fresh water acidulated with lemon juice, then drain them and blanch them for 4-5 minutes in lightly salted and already boiling water, then drain them again and let them cool.

In the meantime, prepare the filling: combine the ricotta, parmesan, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix.

Place the artichokes in a baking dish suitable for the oven and lined with baking paper, season them with a little salt and oil, fill them with the ricotta cream, drizzle with a little oil and cook for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden in a fan oven preheated to 190 °C.

The artichokes stuffed with ricotta are ready, all you have to do is add a little more parsley before enjoying them.