Artichoke Vinaigrette
“The globe artichoke is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a food.” Our friends at Wikipedia really know how to get my appetite going, I have to say. Not! If ever I heard a less appetising description of a really delicious food…
Delicious, yes, but rather challenging to eat. One usually peels the scale-like leaves off one by one, dipping them into a lovely sauce and stripping the fleshy base off with the teeth. Like lobster, for instance, one needs to put in a bit of effort to reap the rewards. I think the rewards are definitely worth the effort!
So much for eating artichokes. What about cooking them? The first time I cooked artichokes I boiled them in a very large pot of lemony water. It took ages and boiled over of course, just when I wasn’t looking. And I had to drain them for a while in a colander to get the water out from between the leaves. Now I steam them in the handy Varoma of my trusty Thermomix and the result is impeccable, with no need to drain. And no boiling over! Then I just whisk up a tasty vinaigrette and hey presto, a delicious starter was had by all. Here’s how:
Artichoke Vinaigrette
Start with really fresh artichokes from your local market or supermarket, and finish with your choice of dipping sauce. Vinaigrette is a classic, and so are hollandaise and just plain melted butter. I prefer the acidic touch of the vinaigrette, which enhances the flavour of the artichoke. Use your favourite vinaigrette recipe or try the one below. Serves 2.
Ingredients
2 whole, raw artichokes
1000 g water
1 Tbsp. salt
For the vinaigrette
15 g red wine vinegar
45 g olive oil, sunflower oil or a mixture
1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
several turns of freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Cut off all but about 2 inches/5 cm of the stalks and place the artichokes in the Varoma dish. Weigh the water into your TM bowl, add the salt, and close and lock the TM lid. Set the Varoma on top, put the Varoma lid on and steam your artichokes for 1 hour/Varoma setting/Speed 2 ½. See Madame Thermomix’s Top Tip below for steaming other foods at the same time.
- At the end of the cooking time, carefully remove the lid of the Varoma and turn it upside down on your worktop. Watch out for hot steam! Place the Varoma itself on top of the upturned lid and let your artichokes cool while you make your vinaigrette.
- Empty out your TM bowl and add the vinaigrette ingredients, making sure to place them to the side of the blade rather than on top of it. Mix 5 seconds/Speed 4 or until thoroughly mixed, scraping the sides of the TM bowl with the spatula. Divide between two small dipping bowls. Serve the artichokes warm or cooled, accompanied by your tasty vinaigrette. Plan on plenty of napkins to wipe your fingers 😉
Madame Thermomix’s Top Tips:
- Don’t forget that while you’re steaming the artichokes in the Varoma you can also steam something else in the simmering basket. I cooked some gorgeous fresh peas for our main course during the last 10 minutes of steaming and kept them warm in the basket in the closed bowl while we ate our prickly friends. You could also steam some rice during the last 15 minutes and get ahead for your chosen main course. What a great way to save time and use electricity as efficiently as possible!
- The TM31 Varoma just holds two large artichokes and the slightly larger TM5 Varoma should hold them with ease. How many artichokes were you able to fit into your TM5 Varoma?
Bon appétit!
