Our cookbook of the week is Sababa by Adeena Sussman. Over the next two days, we’ll feature another recipe from the book and an interview with the author.
To try another recipe from the book, check out: Melted green cabbage .
For Adeena Sussman , embracing spring produce is central to celebrating Passover, which runs April 8-16 this year. “One of its other names is Chag Ha’Aviv, or the springtime holiday,” she says. “So I love to use asparagus and peas, artichokes and fava beans, and all those beautiful spring things that are just coming out at that time of year.”
Artichokes have long been a favourite of hers. Growing up in Northern California, they would often be steamed, which tended to leave them waterlogged. Here, she roasts them in water and wine — “recipes with wine are very appropriate for Passover” — to render them firm and meaty while still cooked through.
“The artichoke hearts especially take on a really delicious texture without getting too soft and mushy. And they get really lemony — I put in whole chunks of lemon to flavour each artichoke half,” says Sussman. “It’s just so easy. You clean them, halve them, cover them and then just throw them in the oven. They come out great.”
OVEN-ROASTED ARTICHOKES AND GARLIC
Active Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 10 minutes
4 medium artichokes (about 1 1/2 lb; 680 g total)
2 medium lemons, halved
1/3 cup (75 mL) plus 1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup (50 mL) dry white wine
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1 head garlic, plus extra unpeeled cloves, if desired
8 sprigs thyme
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Step 2
Trim the bottoms of the artichokes and peel the stems (but leave the stems attached if they seem fresh — they are edible and delicious!). Split the artichokes lengthwise and lay them flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out and discard the chokes but leave the pale artichoke hearts (this is the best part after you roast the artichokes). Pull out the small, hard inner leaves (these are bitter and inedible after they are roasted). Place the artichokes face-up in a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) nonreactive baking dish. Squeeze one of the lemon halves all over the exposed pale green choke and the peeled stems. Cut the other half of the lemon into 8 chunks and place one chunk inside the cavity of each artichoke. Drizzle 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the olive oil all over the cut sides of the artichokes, season generously with salt and pepper, and pour the wine and water into the pan. Flip the artichokes so the cut sides are facing down. Nestle the garlic head into the dish, arrange the thyme sprigs on top, scatter any additional garlic cloves around the pan, if using, seal tightly with foil, and roast in the oven until the artichokes and garlic are tender, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and uncover the pan. Let the garlic cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic into a small bowl. Mash in the remaining 1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil and the juice of half of the remaining lemon with a fork. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the artichoke halves. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges and serve with the artichokes.
Serves: 4
From Sababa by Adeena Sussman, published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2019 by Adeena Sussman.
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