Venting About Artichokes-4/12/10

I find artichokes insanely frustrating. You start with this fist size vegetable and by the time you are done trimming them, you have barely a finger worth of edible food. Don't get me wrong, I like artichokes but I feel like I'm wasting something every time I prepare one. With three recipes this month calling for fresh artichokes, I'll be getting some practice trimming them and filling up my kitchen trash with lots of leaves.
Tonight's artichoke dish, Sauteed Chicken Paillards with Artichoke Hearts on page 91 of this month's Bon Appetit, was a good recipe to start off. The artichokes were simply trimmed and sliced and used as a sauce for chicken breast. The sauce had a mixture of wine, chicken broth, and butter. These traditional flavors complimented the artichokes and blended nicely with the pan-fried chicken.
I decide to make the Grilled Calamari with White Bean Stew as a side dish/salad for the chicken. The name of this dish was bit deceiving. There was a salad accompanying the beans and since they were drained of almost all liquid, it wasn't really stew at all. I found the recipe a bit more work than necessary for the result. The salad was almost an afterthough with a oil and lemon dressing. The calamari and beans were good but not outstanding and I didn't fell the herb oil added much of anything. I may use the bean alone as a simple side in the future. The clam juice and onion added a nice simple flavor to the canned beans that would make a nice side for a steak or chicken dish.
The dessert I made for tonight, Bay Laurel Panna Cotta, was excellent but I wasn't sure how much the extra step of steeping bay leaves added to the dish. I wish I could have compared traditional panna cotta to this version. I didn't notice a distinct flavor of bay leaves. The dish was wonderfully creamy and perfectly sweetened, however. I think next time I'll just leave out the bay leaves. The suggested cashews and candied orange peel didn't add much either. Just stick with the basics on this recipe and you'll be very happy.
Sauteed Chicken Paillards with Artichoke Hearts-B+
Grilled Calamari with White Bean Stew-C+
Bay Laurel Panna Cotta-A-

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