Braised artichokes in the pan, a quick, light, and very tasty side dish with artichokes, also great as a filling for the Easter pie or to dress pasta with artichokes. Preparing a good side dish with artichokes is really simple, the most tedious part is undoubtedly cleaning the artichokes, but with the tutorial, how to clean artichokes it will be really quick. Once cleaned, just cook them in the pan braised; braising isn’t with tomatoes as many mistakenly believe, but with water. It will take just a few minutes to cook them perfectly, and they can be flavored with good olive oil, garlic, and chili pepper, or alternatively black pepper, and at the end, plenty of chopped parsley, or if you prefer fresh mint or oregano, cannot be missed. Here are other ideas for cooking artichokes.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for Braised Artichokes
- 4 artichokes
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
Tools for Preparing Braised Artichokes
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pan
- 1 Lid
Steps to Prepare Braised Artichokes in the Pan
In a large bowl, put water and lemon juice, rub your hands with the lemon, and then start cleaning the artichokes.
Take only the tender heart of the artichoke, remove all the tough parts, keep a part of the stem which you peel, cut in half and remove the inner fuzz, then slice. Immediately soak in water and lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
In a non-stick pan pour a drizzle of olive oil, add the garlic, unpeeled and crushed, then add the drained artichokes, add water and salt, and cook. If you like, you can add a chili pepper or ground black pepper.
Cook over low heat with a lid, in 10-15 minutes they will be ready, checking occasionally if more water needs to be added, and cook until tender. The times may vary depending on the type of artichoke.
At the end of cooking, add chopped parsley and serve; a great side dish, perfect for dressing pasta, perhaps with the addition of ricotta, sausage, or crispy bacon. Excellent for making an artichoke cream, adding a bit of water, if for pasta, even pasta cooking water will do, also great for making delicious baked pasta or artichoke lasagna.
