Pan Fried Artichokes With Basil And Pine Nuts Recipes

Steps:

• Cook orzo in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander.
• While orzo cooks, lightly toast pine nuts in a dry small skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 1 minute, then coarsely chop.
• Drain artichoke hearts in a large sieve and rinse well. Pull off leaves from bases of hearts and quarter bases. Rinse leaves and bases well, then drain thoroughly.
• Stir together oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add orzo, pine nuts, artichokes (leaves and bases), parsley, and zest and toss to combine.

Steps:

• Remove dark tough exterior leaves from artichokes. Trim stem end and cut off top of each artichoke, then cut in half lengthwise. Put artichoke halves in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Leave to soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix together flour, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drain artichokes, dip in seasoned flour to coat and put on a plate in one layer.
• Pour 1/2 inch oil in a wide skillet and place over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, carefully slip in artichokes one at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. (Fry in batches if necessary.) Let fry gently until one side is well browned, about 2 minutes, then turn over and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
• Make the gremolata: Combine parsley, garlic, lemon zest, orange zest and capers. Put fried artichokes on a platter and sprinkle generously with the mixture. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the vinegar and the water. Remove the outer leaves from each artichoke and trim the tops and bottoms. Lay the artichoke on its side and, with a small sharp knife cut away from the bottom towards the top on a slant, to form points. The edges should look scalloped, the bottoms rounded, and the tops pointed. As you trim each artichoke, place it in the bowl of acidulated water to stop it from discoloring.
• In a large nonmetal saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Pour off all but about 1 1/2 tablespoons of fat from the pan and discard it. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 7 minutes more, until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, until the aroma of the garlic is released. Add the tomatoes to the pan and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the broth, salt, and pepper and bring the liquid to a boil. Drain the artichokes well and add them to the pan. Reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes, covered. Transfer the artichokes to a serving dish and keep warm in a low oven. Increase the heat to high and boil the sauce until it has reduced to about 1 cup. Taste for seasoning and then pour the sauce over the artichokes. Squeeze some lemon juice evenly over the artichokes, scatter the toasted pine nuts over the top, and serve.

Steps:

• Put cornmeal on a large plate. Lightly pat fish with paper towels and season with salt and pepper, then coat fillet well with cornmeal.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté one third of spinach, stirring constantly, until slightly wilted but still bright green, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer cooked spinach to a bowl. Sauté remaining spinach with remaining oil in same manner. Season with salt.
• Wipe skillet with a paper towel, then heat 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until foam subsides. Increase heat to moderately high and sauté two fillets, skin sides down first, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes (do not clean skillet). Repeat with remaining butter and fillets, then reserve browned butter in skillet.
• Divide spinach among plates and top with pine nuts and fish, then drizzle fish with browned butter.

Steps:

• Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl. Fill a large bowl with water and add juice and rinds of lemons. Set both bowls aside.
• Using a sharp paring or bird's beak knife, shave off the tough outer leaves of artichokes until you reach the tender pale green or yellow leaves and create a bulbous shape. Cut off at least an inch of the thorny top. Trim the stem near the heart, peeling off the outer green fiber and leaving about 2 inches of stem if possible. Immediately put the artichokes in the lemon water to prevent browning.
• Fill an electric fryer or deep cast-iron enameled pot with enough oil to almost cover artichokes. Heat to 325 degrees. While oil is heating, dry artichokes well with paper towels. Tap the flat top of the cut artichoke against the table to loosen the leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, rubbing in the seasoning.
• Fry artichokes in batches. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for about 15 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the stem at its thickest point. The outside should be bronzed.
• Remove artichokes from oil and drain well, stem side up, on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Gently open leaves to remove choke (using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller) and encourage the leaves to spread. You can now freeze them or leave them out, stem side up, for a few hours until ready to finish.
• When ready to serve, reheat the oil to 350. Working in batches again, return artichokes, stem side up, to hot oil just to crisp. Drain well and serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt. Eat with your fingers.