Artichokes | 20something cupcakes

spring vegetable {goat cheese} dip.

April 9, 2012 — 9 Comments

Oh, how I love a hot and cheesy dip.

Typically reserved for our football gatherings in the fall and winter, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a cheesy dip designed for the spring. A hot and cheesy dip packed with fresh flavor from all of my favorite spring vegetables? Yes, please.

Now, don’t me wrong: This dip is still creamy, cheesy, and totally dreamy – thanks to the béchamel base it starts with, and plenty of white cheddar and goat cheese. The goat cheese makes for a perfect pairing with spring vegetables like asparagus and artichokes – which make for a perfect pairing with – drumroll, please – wine! Yes, wine. It can be done, and it can be done well.

If you’re not into wine – or, let me rephrase – if you’re into drinking wine but don’t know too much about it, spring veggies like artichokes and asparagus are a no-no when it comes to vino. They contain certain chemicals that can make the wine taste off, or even rancid (especially red wines).

You can imagine the predicament I found myself in here. I was obsessing over two things: a springtime dinner party, and a wine pairing dinner party. But how could a springtime dinner party not pay homage to all of the fabulous vegetables springtime has to offer? I’m not one of those super-fussy people who say X wine must be served with X food, but at the same time, if I’m hosting a wine pairing dinner party, well, then the pairings need to make sense!

In Dinner Party Worthy, Starters artichokes, arugula, asparagus, dips + spreads, goat cheese, peas, prosciutto, spring recipes, sugar snap peas

dinner party menu: easy summer shrimp boil.

July 31, 2011 — Leave a comment

Here’s one thing I know: It’s almost August already, and I still have a lot of summer meals I want to make. I love summer because it’s a time where meals should be simple, fun, and easy. Nothing complicated or over-thought. And I always find summer comes and goes too soon. For instance, I’ve got a lot of other menus and recipes to post here. Full of tomatoes, and sangria, and pulled pork – things you need to see before summer is over.

Let’s start with putting this summer meal into a menu. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been hard for you to figure it out on your own, but I just love putting it together for you anyway.

Easy-Breezy Summer Shrimp Boil Menu

{to drink: mango margaritas with chili salt}

{to start: green salad with avocado-basil dressing}

{the main event: beer shrimp boil}

{on the side: lemony artichokes au gratin}

{finish it off: blackberry pie bars - or for something lighter, homemade strawberry sorbet made from pureéd frozen strawberries and a squeeze of lime}

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy artichokes, avocado, easy-breezy, margaritas, shrimp, summer recipes

What if I told you that something from a can is capable of producing one of the most addicting-ly delicious side dishes you’ll ever taste?

Although I don’t typically cook with canned goods, artichokes are one of my exceptions. If I’m doing them in something like an antipasti, I’ll buy the higher-quality jarred variety, but for a dish like this, canned works best.

Using canned artichokes makes this dish seriously easy. Baking it in a casserole dish does, too. The only prep you’ll need to do is slice a few scallions and grate/shred some cheese – which doesn’t really take much work at all if you use your food processor. It’s not really “some” cheese – it’s a lot of cheese. That coupled with the panko is what makes this dish so sinful and fulfilling. The lemon adds the brightness, and the red pepper flakes and Tabasco give it some kick.

I think it’s a natural fit for serving alongside your favorite summer seafood dish, don’t you?

Lemony Artichokes Au Gratin

from Rebecca Rather’s Pastry Queen Parties

1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
4 (14 ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained (about 6 cups artichokes)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 2 bunches)
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 2 lemons
Dash of Tabasco sauce
3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom of a large gratin dish with a bit of the melted butter. Spread the artichoke hearts evenly over the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with the green onions.

In a bowl, stir together the remaining melted butter, Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, black pepper, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Add the Parmesan, Monterey Jack, and panko; stir to combine. Spoon the mixture evenly over the artichokes.

Bake until the breadcrumb-butter mixture is golden brown and the casserole is hot throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

DO-AHEAD: Can be assembled up to 1 day ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Bake just before serving.

{I think this dish is best when eaten the same day it’s cooked – I didn’t think the leftovers did it justice}

artichoke + olive tapenade.

August 19, 2010 — 6 Comments

If there’s one thing I could always use more of, it’s another quick appetizer I can pull out of my back pocket in a crunch.

In other words, something I can make from ingredients I have in my pantry. Like white bean dip. Hummus. Have I not posted on these things yet? Well, I should. Soon. These are important things.

Artichoke hearts, capers, olives, garlic, and olive oil. I always have these favorites on hand, no matter what. It’s all pureéd into a delicious tapenade, and although it’s not the prettiest of appetizers – I can assure you, it’s good. So good, that you may find yourself eating half the bowl before your guests even arrive.

If you want to make the crostini, you’ll need a baguette or a nice loaf of crusty bread to toast – which you may or may not have on hand. I usually keep a half-baguette in the freezer for emergency situations, but keep in mind that you then must remember to defrost it in time. And emergencies don’t usually involve extra time for defrosting, do they?

You can also serve this over crackers. Or with veggies. Or tossed with a bowl of pasta. I’m sure you have something in your kitchen that will work. If all else fails, you can always just grab a spoon. Not that I’ve ever done that, or anything.

Artichoke + Olive Crostini

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen + Mario Batali

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 cup large green or black pitted olives {I used a mixture}
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large slices of crusty bread

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a food processor, process the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts and olive oil to a coarse paste.

Lightly brush the bread slices with olive oil and toast on the oven rack for 6 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Spread the olive paste thickly over the toasts and serve.

{DO AHEAD: The tapenade can be refrigerated for 2 days – let it return to room temperature before serving}