Serves: 6 small appetizers portions
(The sad thing about baby artichoke is you have to discard a lot of it! The great thing: What’s left of it is delicious!)
6 baby artichokes
2 cups of arugula
1 1/2 cup parmesan (shaved)
Dressing:
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1tbsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper (Himalayan)
Fresh thyme
(half a cup of parmesan)
Edible flower for deco
1. Squeeze some of the lemon in a medium bowl for fresh water. Add the lemon to the bowl and leave it there!
2. Work with 1 artichoke at the time: cut and discard the stems. Cut off the top. Pull out the dark leaves until you reach the yellow (purpleiiish) leaves. Thinly slice each one and drop them in lemon water. This is an important step as it will help the artichoke keep its color. I leave all the slices in the water until I get done with all of them.
3. Make the dressing: I use the mini Cuisinart, but you can mix anything in a small bowl with a whisk. Minced clove of garlic, dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh thyme and salt and pepper. I add some of the parmesan cheese to make it creamier. Whisk well. I like extra lemon but feel free to use less if you don’t like it as lemony as I do.
4. Drain the water and pat dry the slices of artichoke with a paper towel.
5. Mix everything together in a small salad bowl: The shaved/sliced artichoke, arugula, shaved parmesan cheese and the dressing. I add fresh thyme. I decorate each place with edible flowers and make it in the shape of a small tower for presentation purposes! You can serve it in the salad bowl and everyone can serve themselves!
Health Benefit of Baby artichoke:
Artichoke have a pretty tough exterior so it takes extra time to prepare and a little work: Totally worth it though and your effort will paid back with healthy nutrition! According to research, this veggie is a good source of Folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C and K. They are packed with Antioxidants!