A favorite vegetable of mine that also grills well is the prickly artichoke. There are a couple of essential steps involved in preparing it for the grill, or your oven broiler if you don’t have a grill. Today I’m using the broiler method. Three simple ingredients can turn a common choke into something really special to enjoy as a first course, or if you’re lucky enough find some extra large ones, even a whole meal.

We had a wonder preparation of this vegetable in France in 2000. We stayed in the little northern town of Brittany. Being right on the coast, we learned that was perfect weather for growing artichokes. There were many fields near and within just a few of miles of the hotel. Even so, there weren’t any artichokes on the hotel menu, and one night the chef really outdid himself to impress us with a surprise. We had asked him about it earlier, and he didn’t really have any particular reason why they didn’t use them in their kitchen. Our appetizer looked more like a work of art than something to eat, and I tried to duplicate that beautiful presentation after we got home. This is as close as I have come.

Toasty Grilled Artichokes

2 fresh large artichokes

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Pare off bottom leaves on chokes, and trim the discolored stem end. Place the chokes in large kettle of water. Bring to a boil, lower temperature to simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes—depending on size of choke—or until the stems are slightly tender to the point of a paring knife.

Drain off water. Remove chokes to a plate for 10 or 15 minutes until cool enough to handle.

Slice chokes in half. Carefully lift out the very center from the smaller purplish leaves to the fuzzy part of the choke. Loosen the fuzzy center with a small paring knife by gently inserting it down and across the top of the base and lift out the center. Avoid cutting too deep or too far down into the heart—it’s really the best part!

Generously sprinkle salt and pepper between the leaves and over the cut side of the choke. Slowly drizzle the oil over the cut surface so that it “washes” the salt and pepper down between the leaves.

Preheat broiler and place halves cut-side up on baking pan. Broil for about 4 minutes, or until the leaf edges are brown and crisp. Remove to serving dish. Because the oil and seasonings basted the choke in the oven, you won’t need any sauce for dipping. They taste great just like that.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008

For all you coconut fans, here’s something that should remind you of a sweet treat you’ve enjoyed in an old Southern diner, or maybe at your grandmother’s house. I found this recipe and changed it a little to make it easier.

My dear mother-in-law was very fond of shopping old bookstores for recipe books, so I was naturally very happy when I inherited a lot of those cookbooks. She had been collecting them for years. I don’t even know if she ever made any of these foreign dishes, but she always had plenty of her old American favorite recipes pinned up on her kitchen bulletin board. Since I’ve always loved coconut too, the first recipe I looked for was one with coconut. I found one and with a little tweaking, it turned out to be a definite winner.

It’s actually a variation on a standard custard recipe. I recently baked one for some dinner guests, and while I was delighted at how much they enjoyed it, I was a little disappointed at how there was none left over.

Even a novice in the kitchen can turn out a perfect custard, and this variation is just as easy. First you’ll need to boil some water. Let it simmer while you assemble the other ingredients.

Coconut Custard

Boil six cups of water, and keep it simmering on the stove until you’re ready to bake the custard.

Preheat Oven to 350°

Mix together:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 C sugar

1/3 t salt

Gradually add:

3 C hot milk

1 t vanilla extract

½ C shredded toasted coconut

Stir well to combine, and pour into 8-inch greased baking dish. Place the dish in a large pan, and carefully pour the hot water around the sides of the dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. The custard will firm up after it cools. Refrigerate at least one hour.

You can serve this with some whipped cream, or alongside a little pitcher of chocolate or caramel sauce, fresh berry sauce or some toasted nuts. Any of these toppings taste great with coconut.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008

A light and moist crab cake is a perfect light dinner for a warm summer night. I’ve tried several recipes, and finally made this one up from a combination of recipes for crab, clam and salmon patties. While all three original recipes were very good, they all took more time that I wanted to spend preparing a summer meal.

Try this one if you’re in the mood for a delicious, moist and tasty crab cake. You could serve any number of dipping sauces with these, but I’ll give you two of my favorites that I think best bring out the delicate flavor of the crab.

Crab Cakes

1 lb fresh cooked crab (or canned)

1 egg

1 T mayonnaise

2 T celery, finely minced

½ C breadcrumbs or panko

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 T fresh parsley, minced

½ stick unsalted butter

2 T olive oil

salt to taste

white pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the crab, egg, mayonnaise, celery, breadcrumbs, onions and parsley with the salt pepper. Shape into patties.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil. Fry the patties until golden brown. Carefully turn them over to brown the other side. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Dipping Sauce #1

1 C mayonnaise

2 t Dijon mustard

1 ½ T lemon juice

1 T fresh dill, minced

1 t white pepper

¼ t cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce

¼ t salt

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.

For another choice of dipping sauces—and one that’s a little spicier—mix ½ C catsup with 3 T straight full-strength horseradish. You can vary the horseradish depending how hot you like it.

On a large platter, arrange the patties on a bed of romaine lettuce leaves. You can add a garnish plate on the side with some tomato slices, green olives and radishes. Accompanied by some crackers, these crab cakes make a perfect light summer lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008

When we lived in California, there was a small Mexican restaurant we visited whenever we were in the mood for some authentic Mexican food. One of their specialties was carnitas—the roasted pork chunks served alongside warm tortillas and fresh condiments. Their enchiladas were also quite good

While we waited for our dinner, we usually had a beer with their traditional salsa and chips. They made their chips and salsa fresh every morning. The salsa tasted so fresh and good, we asked the waitress about the ingredients. “Only tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper” she told us. I was hoping I could re-create this winner in my own kitchen, and was anxious to try.

The next time we craved chips and salsa, I made up a batch. After several tries, I finally got the proportions right and added just a touch of sugar (to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes) and the vinegar (to spice the flavors and keep the tomatoes bright). It turned out quite well, and I’ve used the same recipe ever since. If you make it, and if the little West Los Angeles restaurant called “Sarapé” is still there, you can compare your salsa to theirs.

Salsa

3 vine-ripened tomatoes

½ red onion

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

¼ bunch fresh cilantro, larger stems removed

½ t sugar

1 t red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut up tomatoes and onion into chunks and place them in a food processor or blender. Pulse until chunky. Add the cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Pulse a couple more times just to blend all the ingredients. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

And now for the chips: Like most restaurants, if the chips are made in-house, they are generally fried. I wanted to make my own chips too, but thought they’d be a little more healthful if baked instead of fried. And don’t forget a sprinkling of salt when they come out of the oven.

Tortilla Chips

Preheat Oven to 425°

1 package fresh yellow corn tortillas

Salt

Lightly spray two or three large cookie sheets with a vegetable cooking spray. Stack the tortillas and slice in quarters, and then in quarters again. Arrange the tortilla wedges on the sheet allowing a tiny space between them. Lightly spray the tops.

Set the racks closer to the middle of your oven. Bake the chips for 6 or 8 minutes, or until they are slightly golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, and return to oven for another minute.

These are delicious with any Mexican dip. They aren’t as fattening as a fried chip, but very corny and tasty.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008