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Add a delicious crab salad to prepared artichoke hearts for a great
luncheon entree or even an appetizer course.
Check out Linda's great
Artichoke Recipes
and
my
Appetizer Recipes
for more great
cooking ideas.
Also
learn about the
History and Legends of Artichokes
how to
Purchase, Store, Prepare, Cook, and
Eat Artichokes.
Artichoke Hearts with Crab Recipe
Recipe Type:
Salad and Salad Dressing,
Artichokes,
Crab
Yields:
6 serving
Prep time: 30 min
Ingredients:
Dijon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
1 1/2 pounds cooked blue crab meat, lump crab meat, or Dungeness crab
meat*
Juice from 3 medium-size
lemons, divided
3 quarts cold water, divided
6 large
artichokes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 strips red bell pepper, diced, for garnish
*If you can't get
fresh crab, look for the pasteurized crab usually sold in the refrigerated case
of your supermarket or fish store.
Preparation:
Prepare Dijon Vinaigrette and set aside until
ready to use. If using fresh (not canned) crab meat, carefully clean the crab meat of any shells or cartilage; set aside.
How To Prepare Artichoke Hearts:
Into a large bowl, squeeze the
juice
of 1 lemon into 1 quart of the water. As you prepare and cut your artichokes, dip
into the lemon/water to prevent discoloring (oxidizing).
Using a sharp knife, cut the stems off of the artichokes even with the bottoms.
Pull off and discard all leaves.
Using a small pairing knife, trim the
remaining dark green surfaces at the base of the artichoke, including the
stalk.
The choke (hairy fibers in the center of
the artichoke) need to be removed. Using a melon baller or a spoon, remove and discard the choke.
Trim the bottoms and put the trimmed artichoke hearts in the lemon water.
Into a large pot, squeeze the juice from the
remaining two 2 lemons into the remaining 2 quarts cold water. Bring the liquid just to the boil; add the artichoke bottoms. Reduce the
heat to low and simmer artichoke hearts approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until the point
of a knife penetrates them easily. Remove from pan and let cool.
Place each artichoke bottom on an individual
serving plate. Spoon 1 tablespoon Dijon Vinaigrette into each artichoke bottom and
sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon chives. Divide the crab meat into six (6) equal portions and
mound it onto the artichoke bottoms, drizzling with additional Dijon Vinaigrette. Sprinkle
each with another 1/2 teaspoon chives and a few pieces of red bell
pepper. Pass any remaining
vinaigrette separately.
Makes 6 servings
Dijon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch
coarse salt and freshly-ground
white pepper
1/2 cup
walnut oil
Process the wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and
pepper with the metal blade of a food processor, about 5 seconds. With the motor running,
pour the walnut oil through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process until mixed, about 5
seconds; set aside until ready to use.
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