Marinated Grilled Artichokes

Marinated Grilled Artichokes

Serves: 6

Marinated Grilled Artichokes

Last month we spent some time in the Monterey area, coastal California – in the vicinity of Castroville, the “Artichoke Capital of the World”. In fact, California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop and Monterey represents 80% of that. They grow year-round here and are readily available. Their peak season is the spring thru summer with another peak mid-autumn. This is when the bumper crops make their way all over the U.S. Look for them where you live - I suspect they are lurking in your nearby grocer just waiting for you to give this recipe a try.

This summer, it seemed like everywhere we went, these thistles were featured on menus in a variety of ways.  We loved them all. I spent a lot of time thinking about artichokes during that road trip and committed to improve my traditional approach. This is the improved – and perhaps even spectacular – recipe. The addition of the marinade followed by a visit to the grill makes all the difference. You will undoubtedly love it.

 

Star of the show: Fresh artichoke!

When selecting an artichoke at the grocer, look for one that is heavy for its size and firm. You will want it have a healthy green color, no blemishes and compact center leaves. It stores beautifully in fridge for up to a week. 

• 4 large artichokes
• Juice from 2-3 lemons
• 1 C olive oil
• ½ C red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• ½ tsp herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic

• Sauce for dipping artichokes if desired, such as roasted garlic aioli, basil pesto mayo, butter, marinade from recipe, or hollandaise 

Squeeze juice from one lemon into a large bowl of cold water. Cut the stem off each artichoke, leaving about one inch.  Snap off the bottom 3 rows of leaves and discard. Cut off top quarter to one-third of artichoke. Using scissors cut off the pointy tip of any remaining attached leaves. Cut away any dark green areas around the base. 

Cut off the pointy tips. So simple even Larue's husband can do it.

Immediately submerge into cold lemon water to prevent browning while you ready remainder of artichokes. Once done with all four, cut each lengthwise into quarters. Using a small paring knife or grapefruit spoon, cut out choke and prickly leaves from each quarter. Submerge each back into the cold lemon water as you prepare all quarters.

Scoop out the fuzzy stuff with a grapefruit spoon

Leave the cut artichokes in cold lemon water

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add artichoke quarters and boil until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Use a fork to poke the bottom to assess tenderness. Remove, drain and let cool.

Cooked until tender

To make marinade, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, and juice from ¾ of a lemon, salt, pepper, herbs De Provence and garlic. Pour over cooked artichokes. At this point leave on counter at room temperature all day. I often cook the artichokes the night before and marinate in the morning, leaving them all day on the counter or in the fridge all day.

 

Cooked artichokes in the marinade

Heat grill to medium-high. Place artichokes on grill, brushing frequently with marinade. Grill until you see char marks and they are warmed through, about 5-10 minutes per side.

Grill on medium-high to char them. The marinade can flare, so be careful.

Place the artichoke quarters on a serving platter, squeeze that last ¼ lemon over all and place them surrounding a dip of your choosing. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Grilled artichokes on display

I used a store-bought roasted garlic aioli for dipping, which was fabulous. Other options are listed above.  But, truth be told, these babies would be great on their own without anything at all. If you have been hesitant to eat artichokes in the past, this is your conversion recipe. Serve with a dry white wine like a chardonnay and enjoy!

Larue

Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish

Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish

Makes 50 appetizer-sized portions

Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish 

This is one of my favorite appetizers-to-impress. Several good friends were recently kind enough to have a All Larue dinner for 14 guests – all from recipes from my blog! My responsibility was to bring an unpublished surprise appetizer. This is the recipe that kicked off a memorable evening. It was truly magical evening – the menu is posted below should you be so inclined!

It can, actually must, be done in advance and scaled up or down to feed a small dinner party or a large group gathering. It could also work as an entrée. Escabeche (es-kah-BECH-ay) is a classic Spanish preparation in which you sear meat or fish, marinate it in a vinegary sauce loaded with spices, then serve it cold or at room temperature. I have given it a bit of an Asian twist with the addition of wasabi to counter the sweet papaya-mango relish. Crunch is provided by the use of either a deep fried wonton wrapper or your favorite tortilla chip.

There is nothing quite like fresh fish. And when it’s fresh, the simplest preparation will often suffice. Yellowfin tuna, also known as ahi, demonstrates this principle perfectly. With just the barest cooking time, the flavor of a fresh piece of ahi is sublime. Its ubiquity and popularity in sushi restaurants is a testament to how good ahi can taste served rare. In other words, less is more.

 

ONLY the freshest Ahi for this recipe!

This recipe is for an escabeche of chili crusted seared ahi tuna. You must use fresh sashimi quality tuna. No exceptions. The fish is given a generous coating of spices before being cooked. And when I say cooked, I do not really mean cooked. You really just want to sear the ahi, leaving the middle quite rare. What you get is a wonderful contrast of textures, with the buttery smooth interior juxtaposed with the crusted exterior. Then it is steeped in a marinade for 24-48 hours before serving – escabeche – referring to a dish that has marinated in an acidic mixture before serving – usually a vinegar or citrus juice.

Marinade

• 2 red onions, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 10 jalapenos, seeded
• ½ C ancho chili powder
• 6 Tb ground cumin
• 2 Tb minced garlic
• 6 C fish or chicken stock
• 1 C white wine vinegar
• Kosher salt & Pepper to taste

Ahi Tuna Seasoning

• 2 Tb ancho chili powder
• 6 Tb kosher salt
• 3 Tb black pepper
• ¼ C olive oil
• 2½ - 3 lbs sashimi grade ahi tuna

Papaya-Mango Relish

• 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into ¼” dice
• 2 papayas, peeled, seeds removed and cut into ¼” dice
• 4 jalapenos, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼” dice
• 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼” dice
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped. If you have time, even better if sliced and grilled before chopping
• 1 large bunch of cilantro chopped
• 6 Tb lime juice
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste 

Wonton wrappers, or Corn tortilla chips

Wasabi paste for garnish

To make the marinade:

Puree the first six ingredients in a food processor: red onions, cilantro jalapenos, ancho chili powder, ground cumin and garlic with some quick pulses. You will want it finely chopped. Pour all into a saucepan, add stock and vinegar and bring to a boil. Then, simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.

 

Mixing the chopped ingredients for the marinade

What the marinade looks like when done

To prepare Ahi Tuna:

Cut tuna into 2-3 equal pieces. Mix ancho chili powder, salt, black pepper together. Add in olive oil and mix thoroughly. Rub all over each piece of tuna. Preheat a cast iron skillet until water splashed in pan spatters. Sear tuna on all sides over high heat about 30-45 seconds per side. Set aside and let cool.

Seasoning rubbed on the Ahi 

Once both tuna and marinade are completely cool, immerse tuna in marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight at least and up to two days.

Ahi swimming in marinade after seared - for 24-48 hours

To make Papaya-Mango Relish:

To make the relish, the first step is to roast the peppers. A previous blog post goes into detail on how to do this:
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2013/04/roasted-red-pepper-eggplant-soup.html

Roasted peppers

Then, stir together all ingredients for the relish: mangoes, papayas, jalapenos, red peppers, red onion, cilantro, limejuice, salt and pepper. Let stand a minimum of 30 minutes before serving and up to 4 hours.

 

Mango

And the final product

To fry Wonton Wrappers:

Using a sturdy deep pan, heat canola oil to about 350 degree F (or until a drop of water sizzles vigorously). Cut wontons in half diagonally with a serrated knife. Using a toothpick, poke three - four small holes into each half.  Drop the halves, one at a time, into the hot oil – just takes seconds before it browns, turn it over and then remove to drain on paper towels. Continue in similar fashion until all selected wrappers have been fried.

 

Wonton wrappers

Wonton only need to sizzle for a short time until they are brown

To assemble:

Remove tuna from marinade, reserving the liquid. Thinly slice the ahi against the grain at about a 25-degree angle into ¼” thick pieces with a sharp slicing knife. Do not saw at the fish with the knife. Instead, put pressure on the fish and drag your knife in one long stroke. Set them aside.

I like to arrange all the component pieces onto a large serving tray. If assembled in advance, the fried wonton or tortilla chip becomes soggy. It may require that you prepare and serve your guests a few at first until they get the hang of it and can do their own.

To serve: Place a small seared piece of ahi on wonton or chip. Put a bit of the marinade on top. Next add a small bit of papaya-mango relish and dribble a bit of wasabi on top or nearby on the serving plate. 

Various stages of completion. Note how little of the Ahi is cooked....just the edges.

If by some miracle there is any left, the fish will stay in good shape for a week or more, so long as the vinegar marinade sauce covers it.

I hope you will give this a try. The first time may seem a bit daunting but it actually is quite easy and forgiving. It is key to use only the freshest of fish – remember, no exceptions.

The only wine to serve with this is Champagne!

Buen Apetito!

Larue

Menu from the First Cooking with Larue Dinner:

The Cooking with Larue dinner with the soup duo served

All recipes are on the Blog and can be found by using the Search function

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Soup Duo: Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup & Roasted Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream

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Corn & Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Duck Breasts with Honey & Balsamic

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