I can still remember the first time I ate artichokes (and liked them)!

When I first moved to San Francisco after graduating from U of O, I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do for a career and with my life in general. So, after a couple of weeks sulking and getting used to my boyfriend coming home every night around 2 a.m. from work, I decided to just go get a job. Any job. Didn’t matter what it was.

At the time we lived in the Marina on Chestnut Street, and I heard from my personal trainer that there was this little restaurant, called Pacific Catch, who might be looking for a new server. Flash forward to a week later, I am working in this amazing little seafood shop that has rockin’ artichokes as appetizers. After working at P-Catch for a little over a year, I had never needed to learn how to prepare an artichoke, but after I moved on to a new job, I needed to learn so that I could satisfy my cravings for these delectable delights!

How To Prepare:

1. Trip off the tips of each leaf.
2. Cut about 3/4 inch off the top floret.
3. Cut excess stem to about 1 inch.
4. In a large pot, put a couple of inches of water if you’re steaming or 3/4 full water if you’re boiling the artichokes. Optional: Insert a steaming basket.
5. Add a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds great flavor to the artichokes).
6. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook.

Now you need something delicious to dip them in…enter roasted red pepper hummus!

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp Hepps’s Ghost Pepper (not mandatory, but necessary)
• optional: 1-2 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. Rinse the peppers and removing any stickers.
2. Preheat to 450°F. Arrange the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven, turning every 15 minutes until done (about 30 minutes). Roast until each side of the pepper starts to turn black and bubble.
3. Place peppers in a covered bowl or brown paper bag. As the steam from the peppers condenses, the skin becomes easier to peel off.
4. Once the peppers have cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard. You can do this with your fingers or a sharp paring knife. Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds.
5. Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency.
6. Give thanks, and enjoy!

~

Editor: Kate Bartolotta

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