Spring’s Lovable Oddballs

Sometimes an image, even one glimpsed very briefly, lodges itself in the mind and rests there for years before being recollected.

Such an image for me was an artichoke seller I glimpsed in passing on the outskirts of Palermo. He was standing next to his sedan, the open trunk of which was filled with small artichokes still secured to long branches, their enormous silvery leaves long and intact.

Additional bundles were lashed to the roof and the hood of the car, and the back seat was also crammed with these thorny vegetables of spring. The plants protruded from the windows into the April sunshine as if trying to escape.

Our seller was doing a brisk business, and I thought about the many housewives who would be making frittedda, the Sicilian stew of artichokes, fava beans and fresh peas that we had been eating as we traveled around the Sicilian coast.

Something of an oddball among vegetables, the artichoke keeps close edible botanical company only with cardoons. A good many vegetables have copious amounts of natural sugars, but not artichokes, and this is one of the things I like about them. They rough up the tongue a bit and intrigue it with hints of nuttiness mixed with an almost tart green vegetable quality.

Raw slices of artichoke will be offered as an appetizer in Tuscany; in my experience, they leave the mouth stunned and puckery for hours.

Further, being thistles, artichokes can have thorns, and they need more preparation than most vegetables.

Given all this, one might assume that this vegetable is a hard sell in a country where our national palate is decidedly sweet and we want our dinners to be cooked in no more than 20 minutes. Yet many of us love artichokes and welcome them every spring.

For all their individuality, artichokes are tremendously versatile, and I always find it somewhat surprising that this unusual vegetable is at home with so many different seasonings and preparations.

Browsing through cookbooks, one will find recipes that stew artichokes with lamb or veal, place them in a Tunisian or Moroccan couscous, use them as a condiment in a risotto or pasta or pair them with ricotta in the Ligurian Easter pie, torta pasqualina.

Recipes call for roasting, sauteing, frying, braising, steaming and even grilling them.

Dill, tarragon and rosemary are all equally compatible companions, and artichoke-friendly vegetables are simply what’s in season at the same time. Now, as in Sicily, it’s peas, fava beans, asparagus, green onions, fennel, delicate chervil, spinach.

In the fall when the second crop appears, it will be shallots, potatoes, leeks, fennel again, chard and more earthy rosemary. No matter the season, white wine, lemons, saffron, bay, tomatoes, oranges, olives, capers, anchovies all find a way with artichokes.

Here are a few simple dishes and one more complicated one that showcase the artichoke without frills, the better to enjoy its essential flavor. But do keep some of those other complementary seasonings in mind when you’re ready to play a bit.

Madison in the author of “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.” (Broadway Books, 1997).

Cilantro Salsa

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Serve this with steamed artichokes.

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 large bunch cilantro, large stems removed, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 green onions, including half the tops, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon, to taste

Salt

* Combine jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, water, oil, cumin, coriander and green onions. Add lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste. (Alternatively, chop everything coarsely, then puree in blender or food processor until smooth.)

1 1/3 cups. Each tablespoon: 51 calories; 13 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

Roasted Artichokes

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Roasting makes these artichokes almost sweet and a little crisp around the edges. Serve plain or with garlic mayonnaise, spooned over a plate of soft polenta and covered with thin shavings of Parmesan cheese.

4 to 6 medium artichokes

Juice of 1 large lemon

Water

Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Bouquet garni consisting of 4 thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons dry white wine or water

* Cut each artichoke into sixths and trim according to preparation instructions. Remove chokes with paring knife. As you work, drop trimmed artichokes into bowl with lemon juice and enough water to cover. When all are done, drain, pat artichokes dry with towel and toss with enough oil to moisten well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

* Place in single layer in lightly oiled 13x9-inch baking dish. Add bouquet garni and wine, cover with wax paper, then with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 35 minutes, then uncover and bake until crisp around edges and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes more.

4 servings. Each serving: 137 calories; 445 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.87 grams fiber.

Artichoke and Green Onion Saute

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

So-called “baby artichokes” are the buds that grow at the shady base of the plant, away from the sun that makes them grow large. Their choke isn’t developed, which makes preparation go quickly. I particularly enjoy this saute on toast or pasta, with thin shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The artichokes can be cooked hours ahead of their final saute. You can substitute 4 or 5 medium artichokes.

24 baby artichokes

Juice of 2 large lemons

Water

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 garlic clove

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch green onions, including 1 inch of the tops, thickly sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth, optional

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Snap off outer leaves of artichokes and trim tops and bottoms according to preparation instructions. Place artichokes in bowl with juice of 1 lemon and enough water to cover. (If using larger artichokes, trim and quarter them, then remove chokes.) When all are done, drop them into pan of boiling water with juice of second lemon and simmer until tender-firm, about 10 minutes. Drain. Just before sauteing, slice them lengthwise in half or thirds. (If using larger artichokes, parboil quarters, then thinly slice them.)

* Chop parsely with garlic and zest; set aside.

* Heat oil in large skillet over fairly high heat. Add artichokes and saute until they begin to color in places, after several minutes. Add green onions and wine. When wine boils off, 2 to 3 minutes, add 1 cup water or chicken broth and half parsley mixture and tarragon. Lower heat and simmer until artichokes are fully tender, about 5 minutes, then add rest of herbs and season with salt and pepper. Tip artichokes, with their juices, onto serving plate.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 138 calories; 205 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 2.06 grams fiber.

Artichokes Braised with Fennel, Leeks and Peas

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

A bit more of an effort than the artichoke saute, this would be a dish for a spring supper, and it can easily be a vegetarian main dish. I often serve it with steamed spinach, and if fresh fava beans are available, I’ll include some of them too. Serve toasted country bread rubbed lightly with garlic in each bowl. I like to use new red potatoes for this recipe.

4 large artichokes

Water

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/4 cup diced shallots

2 leeks, white parts plus an inch of pale green parts, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

1/2 cup white wine

2 fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch wedges, joined at root end

2 1/2 to 3 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

6 small boiling potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters, or fingerings scrubbed and halved lengthwise

1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cup peas or shelled fava beans

3 tablespoons chopped fennel greens and/or parsley

* Trim artichokes according to preparation instructions and cut them into sixths. Remove chokes with paring knife. Set artichokes in bowl with enough water to cover and lemon juice.

* Melt butter in wide soup pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and leeks and cook, stirring frequently, without browning, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine, raise heat and simmer 2 minutes.

* Drain artichokes and add them to pot along with fennel and broth. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then press a piece of crumbled parchment or wax paper directly over vegetables. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered, until artichokes are tender, about 35 minutes.

* Meanwhile steam potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

* When artichokes and fennel are tender, remove them with slotted spoon to dish. Whisk creme frai^che and mustard into broth and boil briskly to make a thin sauce, 5 to 10 minutes. Add peas, cook over medium heat until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then return vegetables and potatoes to pot. Add fennel greens and serve.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 272 calories; 569 mg sodium; 37 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 2.64 grams fiber.

Variations: As the season progresses, take advantage of small market carrots, the last asparagus, the first zucchini or tender new turnips. For the fall artichoke crop, include diced celery root with the artichokes. Cool-weather sorrel, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup per recipe) simmered with the cream and then pureed, adds a bright, lemony bit to the dish.