Sometimes I have artichokes and am not sure when I will get them into a menu, so I will just cook them when I get the chance whether I intend to serve them at that moment or not. They are good cold, can be re-heated, or worked into something else, as happened here. The combination of artichoke and potato is a great one, especially with sweet waxy potatoes such as Yukon Golds or a fingerling type. This salad would be good with some cauliflower florets blanched and dressed while hot, then cooled and added in.
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 large artichokes, trimmed to the heart, or 12 small artichokes, prepped as for Braised Baby Artichokes. For large ‘chokes, cut the hearts into 1/4-inch cubes, whereas for small chokes cut into 6 radial slices
4 medium-large Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 3/8ths-inch cubes
2-3 carrots, peeled and squared up, cut into 3/8ths-inch dice
1 head butter lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized bits
2 cups olives, Niçoise, Taggiasca, or Kalamata
¼ large white spring onion, thinly sliced into quarter-rounds
½ a lemon for juice, Meyer preferably
Olive oil as needed
8-12 basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove peeled and cracked, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig basil, 5 pepper corns, 1 tablespoon onion coarsely chopped, wrapped in a piece of cheese cloth and tied with kitchen twine to form a sachet
1 cup, or as needed, dressing, such as: Creamy Basil Dressing, Basic White Wine vinaigrette, Creamy Basil Balsamic Dressing (See website for recipes)
Optional- 2 cups Pepper Cress
METHOD:
Bring 2 pots of water to a boil over high heat. Season one aggressively with salt, the second with just a bit. Add to the second pot the sachet and boil 5 minutes or until the water smells/tastes of the sachet.
Make an ice-water bath and have nearby.
Add the potatoes to the first pot and blanch just long enough to render them tender. Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove them to the ice-water bath and cool them rapidly. They should be just tender. Remove from the cold bath, drain thoroughly, and place on a clean towel to dry. When the potatoes are cool and dry, Place in a bowl and drizzle with a small amount of oil and gently toss to coat. This will help prevent sticking and discoloring. Season with a little salt and pepper. Repeat with the carrots, omitting the oil.
Add the artichoke to the second, seasoned, pot of water and gently cook until tender. When tender, repeat the above steps for cooling and drying, but toss the artichoke with just enough lemon juice to coat to prevent discoloration. Season with a little salt and pepper.
To serve: Combine the onion, artichoke, carrot, and potato in a large non-reactive bowl. Drizzle with a little dressing and gently toss to mix and coat with dressing. Taste one of each vegetable to see if there is enough dressing. You want each vegetable to stay individual, but you also want to taste the dressing as well. Let sit for a few minutes while you tear up the basil into little bits. Gently fold into the vegetables.
Put the lettuce into another bowl and very lightly dress it. Turn with the hands to coat and not crush. Distribute amongst 4 plates, mounding a little in the center.
Place even amounts of evenly mixed vegetables into the center of each pile of lettuce.
Scatter olives around the plates evenly, then scatter the tops of each salad with pepper cress and serve.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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