An Infinitely Flexible Artichoke
Artichokes barigoule--slowly braised in wine, oil and stock enhanced with aromatic vegetables and herbs--may be a classic dish in restaurant kitchens, but it is all but unknown to American home cooks. Think of it as you would tapenade, that infinitely flexible paste of black olives: It’s perfect as it is, but it offers almost unlimited variations.
Furthermore, a barigoule is the kind of dish that can really connect you to cooking if you’ll slow down to enjoy the process: carefully turning the artichokes to trim off the leaves and chokes, sweating the flavoring vegetables until they’re soft and fragrant, then gently braising the artichoke hearts until they’re so tender they can be easily pierced with a knife.
The result is a vegetable with great flavor--the subtle nutty flavors of the artichoke enhanced by the sweetness of vegetables, the acidity of the poaching liquid and the richness of olive oil. It is also a vegetable with extraordinary versatility. Artichokes cooked this way can be sliced and served as they are, either hot or cold, with a vinaigrette and lots of fresh herbs. They can be mashed into a paste and used in a hearty vegetarian stew or salad. Puree them and use the puree as a sauce for lamb, chicken or fish, or thin it with more of the cooking liquid to make a soup--or use it as a filling for ravioli and serve it in a rich sauce made from the cooking liquid. That cooking liquid, an amazingly delicious thing in itself, can be varied according to whim, using different seasonings, juices or oils.
If you spot a good deal on artichokes, or even if you don’t, this is the kind of preparation that’s best to do in big batches. It will keep in its liquid in the refrigerator for a week, at the ready for all kinds of uses (a salad one night, a soup another, then a sauce for grilled fish).
The most difficult part of this preparation--and the most pleasing to master and do well--is turning the artichoke. Hold a very sharp paring knife vertically with the sharp edge of the blade toward you. Then rotate the artichoke on the axis of its stem against the blade until all the leaves and green skin have been shaved off. Immediately place the hearts in a bowl of water with some wine and lemon juice added to keep them from oxidizing.
After that, it’s just fun cooking--sweating the vegetables to begin developing their flavors, nestling the hearts concave-side down into that soft bed to begin their cooking and then adding the liquid and slowly bringing it up to a simmer. The smells should be rich and the fat will give the braising liquid a gorgeous sheen. The vegetables flavor the cooking liquid, and the cooking liquid flavors the artichokes. The aromas from the pot fill the kitchen.
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Keller is chef at the French Laundry in the Napa Valley. Ruhlman is author of “Soul of a Chef” (Viking, $26.95). They are co-authors of “The French Laundry Cookbook” (Artisan, $50).
Previous columns by them can be found on The Times’ Web site, at https://www.latimes.com/keller.
Artichokes Barigoule
Active Work Time: 45 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus 8 hours chilling
Prepare this at least one day before serving.
2 cups white wine
Olive oil
8 artichokes
1 to 2 lemons, halved
8 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias
6 onions, sliced
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1 bouquet garni (leek greens, parsley, thyme and bay leaves, tied together)
6 cups chicken stock
3 ounces anchovies, chopped
Combine the wine and 3/4 cup oil in a bowl large enough to hold the artichokes.
Cut off the top half of each artichoke and discard. Peel off 3 to 4 layers of the outer leaves from each artichoke, just until the yellow leaves begin to show. Cut off the artichoke stems. At the base of each artichoke, shave off the ends of the tough outer leaves by turning the artichoke against a small, sharp knife. Trim the outside of each artichoke base until no dark green areas remain. Cut off the remaining top 1/3 of the artichoke and use a small spoon to scoop out the fibrous choke and small, purple-tipped leaves. Rub each heart with a halved lemon, then drop it into the wine and olive oil mixture.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a saucepot over medium-high heat. Cook the carrots and onions until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and shallots and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and cook 3 more minutes. Add the bouquet garni, the stock and the anchovies. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the artichokes are easily pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Gently remove the artichokes to a container where they are not stacked, pour the cooking liquid over them and let cool. If your container is not large enough to hold the aromatics, you can strain the liquid before chilling the artichokes. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
8 servings. Each serving: 29 calories; 203 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 2.10 grams fiber.
Artichokes In Vinaigrette
Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour
VINAIGRETTE
3/4 cup white wine
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup artichoke cooking liquid
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Chicken stock
Salt, pepper
Sherry vinegar
Place the wine, garlic and shallot in a saucepan and reduce over medium heat until almost evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the artichoke cooking liquid and continue reducing the liquid until you achieve a glaze consistency, about 20 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Cool.
Place the liquid in a blender or food processor. With the machine running, add the olive oil until emulsified. (If the mixture gets too thick, thin it with a little chicken stock.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the acidity with a splash or two of Sherry vinegar.
ASSEMBLY
Vinaigrette
6 cups mixed baby greens
8 artichoke hearts cooked en barigoule, thinly sliced
Toss the dressing to taste with the mixed baby greens and sliced artichoke hearts and serve. Offer any remaining dressing on the side or save it for another use.
8 servings. Each serving: 41 calories; 194 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.68 grams fiber.
