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Janet H

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What do I serve with fresh artichokes?

Today a friend brought over 2 GIANT artichokes (which I just adore) but for dinner tonight I had planned chicken breasts (w/ skin and ribs) and some rice and a salad of some sort. The chicken is thawed and I need to use the artichokes tonight. I think that artichokes deserve some nice crispy french bread (which I could get), but then the rice seems like overkill.

How would you round out this menu?

Chicken breasts
Steamed Artichokes
French bread
 
What do I serve with fresh artichokes?

Today a friend brought over 2 GIANT artichokes (which I just adore) but for dinner tonight I had planned chicken breasts (w/ skin and ribs) and some rice and a salad of some sort. The chicken is thawed and I need to use the artichokes tonight. I think that artichokes deserve some nice crispy french bread (which I could get), but then the rice seems like overkill.

How would you round out this menu?

Chicken breasts
Steamed Artichokes
French bread
A platter of fresh fruit or a green Ceasar salad. I'd par boi the chokes then cut in half cut out or scrape out the thistle and grill them after I'd marinated them in evoo and white balsamic. I love them like this. My daughters invention.
ma-kades
 
If you feel you must have a starch, buttered egg noodles with fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg would taste good.
 
I love artichokes, but to me they don't qualify as a vegetable, although I know they are. Maybe it's just me.
The bread is your starch, so I'd serve a green salad to round out the meal.

Is there a reason you must serve them with the meal tonight?
 
Is there a reason you must serve them with the meal tonight?

Yes - I have a weird week coming up and will not be cooking anything except desserts for the next few days (going to dinners elsewhere for the next few nights) - I don't want to store them in my fridge for 6 days.
 
You could do a Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Artichokes on a bed of rice and spinach. I'd sprinkle a few pieces of sundried tomatoes around for color too.

Or you could do a salad with garlic chicken, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, and freshly grated parmesan
 
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When I get The Big ones, I steam 1 hr then serve as an appatizer with dip..

fun for all to peel the leaves off..

for eating as an ingrediant, I use the very small artis..

Eric, Austin Tx.
 
You could do a Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Artichokes on a bed of rice and spinach. I'd sprinkle a few pieces of sundried tomatoes around for color too.

Or you could do a salad with garlic chicken, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, and freshly grated parmesan


Love the suggestions but the chicken breasts are being roasted as is with some cajun seasoning and with the intent of the leftovers being served cold at a picnic tomorrow. I'm actually cooking a whole pile of these tonight and so basically just want to serve these as is tonight.

I'm considering a small corn custard (corn, eggs, milk, cheese) and a side plate sliced tomatoes but think it's still a weird menu. I need to start cooking soon-ish...

Roasted chicken parts
Steamed artichokes w/ lemon butter
Crusty bread
Corn casserole/souffle thing (can cook with chicken and satisfies vegetarian in house)
Sliced garden tomatoes on rocket
Has anyone ever chopped up capers in artichoke butter before? Molly annes post got me craving capers....
 
Love the suggestions but the chicken breasts are being roasted as is with some cajun seasoning and with the intent of the leftovers being served cold at a picnic tomorrow. I'm actually cooking a whole pile of these tonight and so basically just want to serve these as is tonight.

I'm considering a small corn custard (corn, eggs, milk, cheese) and a side plate sliced tomatoes but think it's still a weird menu. I need to start cooking soon-ish...
Roasted chicken parts
Steamed artichokes w/ lemon butter
Crusty bread
Corn casserole/souffle thing (can cook with chicken and satisfies vegetarian in house)
Sliced garden tomatoes on rocket
Has anyone ever chopped up capers in artichoke butter before? Molly annes post got me craving capers....

Capers in butter sounds great!
 
If it weren't for the need for leftover, I would say why not just kind of stew the bird with the artichokes and what not. Brown the bird, add garlic, onion, brown some more, add artichokes, maybe shaved fennel, capers, and sun dried(as mentioned) deglaze with canned chicken stock, and maybe other stuff(wine)/ liquid to cover, stew done and serve with rice/pasta and boom. done. One pot meal.
 
This doesn't help you tonight, but one of our favorite combos with steamed artichokes is steak fondue. The two go together perfectly. While you're sitting there waiting for your steak chunk to cook in the fondue pot, it allows you time to pull a number of leaves off the artichokes and eat them.

I even use the same horseradish and sour cream dip for both the steak and the 'chokes.
 
This doesn't help you tonight, but one of our favorite combos with steamed artichokes is steak fondue. The two go together perfectly. While you're sitting there waiting for your steak chunk to cook in the fondue pot, it allows you time to pull a number of leaves off the artichokes and eat them.

I even use the same horseradish and sour cream dip for both the steak and the 'chokes.

Man, while I am not a huge fondue fan, this sounds like a nice combo, and way to spend some time with friends.

Too bad shabu shabu and artichoke just doesn't have that great a ring to it, but I like the idea.
 
Sorry Im late

I apologize for being late but maybe you can use this for later or future reference.
The way I'd round out the menu would be as follows:
Make an orange soy chicken with steamed artichokes and gnocchi. The gnocchi will give a different texture and flavor and when combined with the flavors of a nice artichoke and orange soy chicken it would be a well rounded meal. Hope this helps.
 
I'm so simple--I like artichokes steamed, drizzled with lemon juice, S&P, and dipped in homemade mayo. You guys are so much more creative re: how to eat artichokes than I am. I just like artichokes as artichokes. But, I am making an artichoke tapenade tomorrow...
 
I'm too late as well, but I like them as a starter, either with melted butter or a vinaigrette dip. Dipping the leaves and using your teeth to scrape out the succulent flesh at the base of each leaf is great fun and then the lovely heart under the choke, delicious.

How to Eat an Artichoke - YouTube
That's basically how I eat them. I'm just not creative when it comes to artichokes.
 
Just so's ya knows, that yummy part of the artichoke that everyone, yes and that includes me, raves about, the heart, well that's the head of stem, where it meats the "flower". If you can find an artichoke with a stem left on it, don't cut it off and throw it away. It has the same texture and flavor as the heart.

So too it is with cauliflower and broccoli stems. They are great when cut into rounds and steamed with the heads.

Favorite way to have arichokes, steamed and eaten, leaf by leaf, dipped in drawn butter, remove the choke, and eat the heart. I like to have lobster tail with the artichoke, so as to have some good protein to dip into the drawn butter as well. Soooo good. Sooooo expensive. Served rarely in our home, like for the wedding anniversary every year. Not sure what desert would work for this meal combo, maybe some fresh cantalope. ar macadamia nut, white chocolate chip cookies.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I apologize for being late but maybe you can use this for later or future reference.
The way I'd round out the menu would be as follows:
Make an orange soy chicken with steamed artichokes and gnocchi. The gnocchi will give a different texture and flavor and when combined with the flavors of a nice artichoke and orange soy chicken it would be a well rounded meal. Hope this helps.


This would have been perfect! Gnocchi is generally not on my radar so thanks for the suggestion :)
 
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