Asparagus Artichoke Cheesepocalypse.

I’ve probably mentioned here before—my mom gets Bon Appetit magazine and saves them for me.  Which means I am bestowed with a large pile of magazines every time I visit.  I’m not complaining.  Not one bit.  I flip through the mags, tear out the recipes I want to try, and then recycle the rest.

And as I KNOW I’ve mentioned here before, my friend Kathy gave the Hubs & I this gorgeous handmade fleur-de-lis casserole dish for our wedding, with the promise that because of Kathy & I’s shared love of cheese, must be utilized for cheese-tastic dishes.  Last time, it was a de-LUSH-us lasagna.  This time…ohhhhh….this time…

Here.  I’ll just show you the page I ripped out of Bon Appetit:

I mean….SERIOUSLY.  Who in the world could ignore that page?  It’s like, the most delicious looking sheet of paper on the planet.  I would EAT the paper…but then I wouldn’t have the recipe anymore, so let’s not do that.

If you’re going to a holiday party this season, this would be a FANTASTIC thing to bring.  And if you have vegetarian friends like we do, they will LOVE you, because this gives them something fairly hearty to chow down on all evening as they avoid the meatballs and finger sandwiches.

And while I can’t really call this technically a “healthy” dish because of all that luscious CHEEEEEEESE… it’s actually not THAT awful for you.  A 1/3 cup serving has about 100 calories (plus whatever you use to dip—crackers, baguettes, veggies, etc.) and it’s crammed full of veggies.

 

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

2 tbsp light butter

1 cup onions (if you don’t like onions, sub in spinach or leeks here)

2 tbsp flour

1.25 cup skim milk

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese or white cheddar

salt & pepper to taste

14 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts in water

1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen

2 tbsp chopped green onions

4 oz crumbled goat cheese or feta

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the asparagus pieces for about 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain and let cool.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  To this, add the onions (or spinach) and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).  Whisk in flour and then gradually add the milk. Bring this to a simmer, whisking constantly.  Continue cooking until thickened and then remove from the heat.

Add to the sauce pan the shredded cheese and whisk until melted and smooth.  Season to taste with the salt & pepper.

Mix in the asparagus (reserve the tips for the top of the dish), artichoke hearts, peas, chives, and 2 oz of the goat/feta cheese. 

Transfer this to a 4-5 cup baking dish, and then arrange the asparagus tips on the top.  Crumble the remaining goat/feta cheese over the top.

Bake until gold & bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.  Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips or sliced & toasted baguette.

NUTRIFACTS: (1 serving = 1/3 cup; makes 16 servings total)

 Calories 106.1

  Total Fat 6.4 g

  Saturated Fat 1.1 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g

  Cholesterol 18.7 mg

  Sodium 139.1 mg

  Potassium 87.4 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 8.1 g

  Dietary Fiber 0.5 g

  Sugars 1.5 g

  Protein 6.2 g

 

 

New Orleans Stuffed Artichoke

Much like brussels sprouts, artichokes are not something that get bought frequently in this house.  Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies—but we tend to stockpile the ones that are a bit more universal.  You know, carrots, celery, onions, bell pepper, etc. AKA—Veggies I Can Use In Nearly Anything.     Not things that require a recipe search on Pinterest.

(Hi, my name is Artie, and I’m SPECIAL.)

But when I saw these prickly perennials (huzzah for alliteration!) on sale last week for 99 cents, I figured, “what the heck.”
When I worked at Martin’s in New Orleans, we stocked our to-go case with pre-cooked stuffed artichokes.  As a Missourian I had never been exposed to stuffed artichokes, but as a New Orleans newb, I couldn’t seem to get away from them.  My coworker & good friend Kathy inducted me into the world of choked ‘chokes and there was no turning back.


On their own, artichokes have all sorts of health benefits: antioxidants, fiber, aid in digestion, reduce bad cholesterol, and they’re great for your liver.
And if you cram ‘em full of bread crumbs, garlic, & Parmesan cheese, they are positively INSANE.  Great for a party or family gathering….basically anywhere there will be other people to assist you demolishing it, lest you eat the whole thing yourself (NOT recommended).
Note: This recipe comes from Kathy’s grandma, and has not been significantly altered or healthed-up.  There are a few other lower-fat versions out there that I might try sometime, but for this go-round, I wanted 100% genuine New Orleans.

Ingredients:
1 medium artichoke (choose one that is not too compact or tight)
1 cup bread crumbs (we used seasoned, since it’s what we had on hand)
5 large cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
3/8 C Wesson oil
1/8 C Olive oil

Directions:
Cut the stem off to make the base flat. Cut off about ½ in of the top, and then snip the remaining leaves to remove “stickers”. Open the leaves by pushing the artichoke on the counter upside down. Rinse artichoke well. Drain and set aside.

Mix the remaining ingredients together well. The mixture should resemble Graham Cracker crust consistency: it can be flattened with the bowl of a spoon and the mixture sticks together.

Place a large spoonful of mixture in the center of the artichoke. Starting in the center of the artichoke, stuff each leaf. Use small spoon to scoop mixture, and push mixture into opening between leaves with your fingers.



When all leaves are full, add a thin slice of lemon to the top center. Cut another slice into quarters and arrange them on the 4 quadrants of the artichoke. (Note: we didn’t have a lemon on-hand, so I just spritzed with a bit of lemon juice.
Select a pot in which the artichoke will fit tightly, and also has a tight fitting cover. Place about ¼ inch water in the pot along with a few drops of olive oil. Add the artichoke (right side up). Bring the water to a boil, then turn down heat, cover and simmer one hour or until leaves come out easily and taste tender. Watch that the water does not all boil off. Add more water if needed.


Remove artichoke from water and allow to cool. Cover and freeze when cool, or refrigerate until serving time. Frozen artichokes may be re-heated in the microwave.

So, if you’re an artichoke newb, perhaps you’re wondering “how do I EAT this highly delectable looking concoction you’ve created, Bobbi?”  Lucky for you, there’s this thing called the internet.  I’m pretty sure you can Google “how to wipe my tukkus” and get a YouTube tutorial. 
But seriously…if you don’t know how, check out the tutorial, lest you end up with a mouth full of undigestable fibrous roughage….like my poor husband did.  But fear not, he’s now properly trained—and thank goodness, so I don’t have to try to eat this whole thing myself!  YUM!


NutriFacts: (makes 12 servings, about 3-4 petals per serving)
Calories 153.2
  Total Fat 11.4 g
  Saturated Fat 2.6 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 7.3 g
  Cholesterol 5.0 mg
  Sodium 302.5 mg
  Potassium 74.3 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 8.6 g
  Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
  Sugars 0.6 g
  Protein 4.4 g