—Cut six fine, solid, green artichokes into quarters, and remove the choke entirely. Trim the leaves neatly, and parboil them for five minutes in salted and acidulated water. Remove, and drain them thoroughly. Lay them in a sautoire; season with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and add two ounces of good butter. Cover the pan with the lid, and set to cook in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Take it out, place the artichokes in a deep dish, and serve with any desired sauce.
898. Artichokes à la Duxelle.
—Chop up finely, and brown for ten minutes in an ounce of butter, six mushrooms, two fine, sound shallots, a quarter of a bunch of parsley, and a clove of garlic. Pare six small or three large artichokes; remove the choke with a spoon, and fry the tops of the leaves in boiling fat for two minutes, being careful to fry only the leaves. Place them in a sautoire, covering each artichoke with a thin slice of salt pork, and laying a buttered paper on top. Moisten with half a pint of hot consommé ([No. 100]) and half a glassful of white wine. Then place them in a moderate oven to braise for thirty-five minutes. When done, put the prepared gravy into a gill of Italian sauce ([No. 188]); place the artichokes in a hot dish, pour the sauce over them, and serve.
899. Fried Artichokes.
—Take three fine, large French artichokes; remove the first three or four rows of leaves; cut each artichoke into six pieces; remove the choke with a spoon; pare the tips of the remaining leaves, and lay the pieces in a bowl, with two tablespoonfuls of oil, a good pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, a third of a pinch of nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Stir all well together. Make a batter as for [No. 1186], dip the artichokes in it, and mix well. Have some fat boiling in a deep pan; lift up the pieces with a skimmer and lay them in one by one, putting in as many as the pan will hold. Stir well, detach those pieces which adhere to the others, and after twelve minutes, or when they are of a golden color, take them out with a strainer. Throw a good handful of parsley-greens into the pan, and as the fat ceases to crackle, after three minutes, take it up; drain through a napkin sprinkled with a little salt. Pile the artichokes on a dish, dome-shaped, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.
900. Artichokes, with Sauce.
—Trim neatly six small raw artichokes; pare the under parts, lay them in a saucepan, and cover them partially with boiling water, adding a handful of salt and one tablespoonful of vinegar. Let them cook for about forty minutes, then draw out a leaf, and if it detaches easily, the artichokes are sufficiently done. Take them from the water, and put them to drain upside down. Arrange them on a dish with a folded napkin, and serve. Artichokes prepared in this way can be eaten with white, blonde, Hollandaise, or any kind of sauce. To keep the artichokes green, tie a piece of charred wood about the size of an egg in a linen cloth, and pour over it the water to be used for boiling the artichokes.
901. Stuffed Artichokes à la Barigoul.
—Pare three fine, large, French artichokes; cut the under leaves straight, then parboil them sufficiently to remove the choke. After laying them in cold water for five minutes, and draining them thoroughly, fill the empty space with a forcemeat made of half an ounce of hashed salt pork, six minced mushrooms, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and two hashed shallots, and seasoning with half a pinch of pepper and a third of a pinch of nutmeg, mixing all well together. Tie them up with a string. Heat three tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a pan, and in it brown well the artichokes for three minutes on each side. Place them in a sautoire, and put on top of each artichoke a small slice of fresh pork or veal, or some butter, adding a glassful of broth ([No. 99]). Cook them in the oven for forty minutes, place the artichokes in a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve.