Quartiers d’Artichauts à l’Italienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive bowl
• •Sharp paring knife and sturdy spoon or melon baller
• •8-quart (7.5 L) pot
• •12-inch (30 cm) oven-safe sauté pan with tight-fitting lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow warmed vegetable dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the holding water

   Fill a large bowl with the cold water and place it beside your cutting board. Keep the lemon halves within reach, then heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). The water is only a temporary shelter; the lemon touching every fresh cut is what prevents the artichokes from blackening.

2. 2

   Turn the artichokes

   Pull away the tough outer leaves until the tender pale leaves appear. Shorten each stem to about 1 inch (2.5 cm), peel the stem and dark green base with a paring knife, then cut away the top third of the leaves. Quarter the artichoke lengthwise and scoop out every hairy trace of choke. Rub all exposed flesh immediately with lemon and lower each finished quarter into the water before starting the next. If an edge begins to gray, shave off the thinnest possible layer, rub it again with lemon, and submerge it at once.

   Turn one artichoke completely before beginning another. A board crowded with exposed quarters is how the blackening gets ahead of you.
3. 3

   Parboil and drain

   Bring a large pot of fresh water to a rolling boil and add the measured salt. Drain the quarters from their holding water and parboil them for 6 to 8 minutes, until the thin leaf tips bend but the thick bases still resist a knife. Drain them cut-side down and blot away excess water. This first cooking is part of the source method, not expendable brigade ceremony: it begins the dense bases evenly before the wine and stock enter.

4. 4

   Sweat over aromatics

   Melt the butter in a wide 12-inch (30 cm) oven-safe sauté pan. Spread the onion, carrot, celery, parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaf across the bottom to make the litter of aromatics, then season lightly with white pepper. Arrange the artichoke quarters in one layer over them, cover, and place the pan in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes. They should sweat gently while the vegetables soften without browning; colour here would muddy the fresh, faintly nutty character of the artichokes.

5. 5

   Reduce the wine

   Set the pan over medium-high heat and pour the white wine around the artichokes. Boil uncovered until the wine has reduced to about 3 tablespoons (45 ml), its sharp alcoholic smell has disappeared, and the pan is nearly dry without the aromatics catching, about 5 to 7 minutes. This reduction is the backbone of the dish. If the pan catches, add a spoonful of stock and scrape gently until the browned patch releases. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Braise until tender

   Add enough brown stock to reach halfway up the artichoke quarters, reserving any excess. Cover and return the pan to the oven. Braise gently for 25 to 35 minutes, until a fine knife passes through the thick base of a quarter without force but the leaves still hold their shape. If the liquor falls below a shallow layer before the artichokes are tender, add another splash of stock. Do not flood the pan; braising concentrates flavour, while boiling washes it away.

7. 7

   Finish the sauce

   Lift the tender quarters carefully into a warmed shallow vegetable dish. Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, discard the aromatics, and skim away the surface fat. Boil the liquor until reduced to about 1/2 cup (120 ml), then add the finished Sauce Italienne and hold it at a bare simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon and falls in a glossy ribbon. If it tightens into a paste, loosen it one spoonful at a time with reserved stock; if it runs like broth, reduce it before it reaches the artichokes. Taste for salt, spoon the sauce generously over the quarters, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose large globe artichokes that feel heavy for their size, with tight leaves and stems that are still firm. Small artichokes do not leave enough heart after turning, while old, open ones can be fibrous however carefully you cook them.
• •The Sauce Italienne is a finished classical component, just as it is in the source entry. Prepare it from its own formula beforehand and measure it only after it has reached its finished consistency; rebuilding the whole sauce inside this recipe would replace one evening with a small bureaucracy.
• •Use a gelatinous, unsalted brown veal or beef stock. If your stock is pale and watery, reduce it separately before measuring; if it is already salty, the final reduction may become harsh before it gains enough body.
• •Classical Sauce Italienne commonly contains finely chopped ham as well as mushrooms and shallot. Check the prepared sauce before serving anyone who avoids pork, and do not pretend that omitting the ham leaves precisely the same sauce.
• •Serve these artichokes beside roast veal, lamb, or a simply roasted bird. The sauce is generous, so the main dish needs no competing glaze or elaborate garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Sauce Italienne and brown stock up to 3 days ahead, cool them promptly, and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Reheat only the measured amounts needed for the recipe.
• •The artichokes may be turned and held under water for up to 1 hour, provided every cut surface has first been rubbed thoroughly with lemon. Longer soaking begins to wash away their character.
• •For a dinner party, parboil and drain the quarters up to 6 hours ahead. Cool them promptly, cover, and refrigerate; begin the aromatic sweat about 50 minutes before serving.
• •The braised quarters and strained cooking liquor can wait separately for up to 2 hours. Rewarm the artichokes gently in the finished sauce, loosening it with a spoonful of stock if it has tightened.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)