Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Tart
November 22, 2012
November 22, 2012
I admire the form and beauty of the artichoke flower. I find it to be fascinating and a little mysterious. the artichoke plant in my vegetable garden is producing flower at the moment. Last year was the first time I grew, and the first time I cooked them. I was a little stumped by how to do so. I consulted my trusty Stephanie Alexander The Cook’s Companion to find out how to go about it and made a number of recipes that showcased the beautiful flavor.
I have to say that for the space the plant takes up, and the amount of the actual flower used, really irks me! I feel like I am wasting most of the plant – or I have completely misunderstood the cooking guidelines!?
I checked the cooking notes a few times and ended trying to eat the outer leaves and the fluffy core that surrounds the base after they were cooked to see if I had understood correctly. I found both to be unpleasant in texture and lacking in taste.
So moving on from my wastage issues, this is lovely vegetarian dish incorporating the fresh flavors of Spring/Summer.
My artichokes are not quite ready to start harvesting so I collected some gorgeous fresh ones from the farmers market last weekend to make this recipe. The onions I used were the first of this seasons crop from my garden and were delicate and sweet. I am looking forward to harvesting the remainder of the crop in the next couple of weeks and making some Onion Chutney with them.
I would love to hear how you cook artichokes as my first flower has appeared so I will be looking for inspiration and other ways to cook this lovely vegetable over the coming months.
Gorgeous tart 🙂 My artichoke habit is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Trimmed, steamed and then pick each leaf off, dip it in kewpie mayo and nibble on the creamy flesh. LOL 🙁 There! It’s out there! *ashamed*
Yum!
this tart looks amazing… loving all the caramelization going on, i can imagine how good it would have tasted!
Thank you Thalia. It is a great tart, so simple but yes full of flavor.