If you are like me, a sucker for anything artichoke, this recipe is for you.
I was intimidated by the inclusion of bechamel sauce, but it was a breeze. I can't take credit for the recipe, it is Mario Batali's- but it was very easy despite the medium difficulty rating at the Food Network's website.
Saute small chopped onion and quartered artichoke hearts in olive oil. When the onions start to carmelize, cover w/a little water and simmer for 10 minutes until hearts are very tender. In another pot, make bechamel sauce. Fresh chopped italian parsley goes into the cooked and drained artichoke hearts and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg into the finished bechamel.
The artichoke mixture is folded into the sauce and put in a pie crust (I used Pillsbury ready-made). Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, until top turns golden brown. Let it cool because it's best to eat it at room temperature.
We had this along with grilled ribeye steaks with crabmeat stuffing. The pie would be a fantastic vegetarian main course- it's definitely hearty enough to stand alone...and the eggs.
3 comments:
I am impressed - Although I go to the food network site all the time for recipes, I have never tried anything that wasn't labeled "easy". I am going to look this one up. If you had readymade pie - how did you get the pretty dough on the top of it?
This is my first time attempting a recipe that wasn't labeled easy. Pillsbury makes an already made refrigerated pie dough- in my market, it's with the Pillsbury refrigerated dough products. It has two pieces inside, so I used one piece on the bottom and cut the other piece up to make the design on top ;)
Instead of steaming and cleaning 10 artichokes, I bought frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained them to use for the recipe (Mario does mention the frozen as an option). The pie IS rich, but as mom used to say "I'll just have a sliver"... yea, right.
OK - I made this last night and it was great! Not as hard as it looks. It helps to have already made pie crust - which taste better than any I could make myself! I added a few pieces of chopped raw bacon in the olive oil and cooked them for a while before adding the onions. And after I folded the mixture into the sauce - which turned out great!- I added some parmasan cheese to it. I had so much fun putting the pie together- I have a pic on my blog. Thanks Sissy! This made a great meal.
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