This week has been all about the easiest route to fresh, good food. I believe in elaborate snacks at my lunch – the best way for me to get through the day is to have good food to look forward to. Given the time constraints this week, I didn’t have hours to prep this weekend. I had a few vegetables languishing in the vegetable tray and I wanted to make sure I used them before they became compost. One of those vegetables was a pair of sangria artichokes we’d picked up last week at Trader Joe’s. I love artichokes – whether they are designer or not. I’ll eat them, I’ll grow them and I’ll even let them go to full flower, because they are so lovely (in addition to being tasty).
But back to the sangria artichokes. In addition to being a beautiful deep purple hew, these are named after sangria – and since I also love sangria, I figured the artichokes must be good. I did a bit of research to find that these are a new kind of artichoke, coming exclusively out of California. I didn’t notice a particularly significant different taste, though they did roast up perfectly with all leaves being very tender. I think they are just pretty – and what’s the harm in enjoying a pretty, in addition to tasty, snack at work?
Roasted artichokes take about an hour, but the prep time itself is minimal. I didn’t do anything to these to eat them other than toss on a bit of salt. If you are going to eat these at work, be sure to have a spoon or knife with you to remove the fuzzy parts from the heart.
Roasted Artichokes
Serves 2
2 large artichokes, stem trimmed and leaves gently spread out
1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place each artichoke in a large piece of aluminum foil (large enough to fully wrap the artichoke). Before you wrap it up, drizzle the artichokes with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Wrap up the artichokes in the foil and put in a pie pan or on a baking sheet. Bake for 75 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce the base of the artichoke. Serve as is or with melted butter with garlic salt.
