#bxllockdown Day 16
VEGAN WEEK / RECIPE 4
Aegean cuisine is the feather in Turkish cuisine’s cap. The region has its own local flavours, rich in vegetable varieties, meats, and salads, It is all comes together wonderfully with all the locally produced fragrant olive oil. A daily trip to “Pazar” fresh fruit and vegetable market is a ritual for most Turks. The market inspires one to come up with seasonal dishes. Artichokes are in season from March to May and this dish is all about freshness and flavour.
Serves 6 – Preparation time: 25 minutes
What you Need:
– 6 artichokes (Both Globe and Violetta are fine for this recipe, however, if you are preparing one per person, Violetta is best)
– 2 cups of rice, do not wash but rinse once in the sieve
– 5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
– 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
– 4 large tomatoes, quartered
– 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
– ½ bunch of dill, finely chopped
– 2 lemons, halved and juiced
– 2 tbsp tomato paste
– ½ cup of sunflower oil
– 6 tbsp of olive oil
– 1 knob of butter (or margarine)
– 1 tsp chili flakes
– Salt and pepper to taste
What you Do:
PREPARING THE ARTICHOKES:
1) Take a large bowl and fill it with cold water
2) Add the juice of one lemon to the water, mix well (don’t throw away the lemon halves)
3) Cut the stems off the artichoke, peel and save the stems for the stuffing mix
4) Peel off the tougher outer leaves of the artichoke
5) Cut off the head of the artichoke (about the width of two fingers)
6) Remove all the centre leaves, until you have only green leaves
7) With the help of a spoon, dig out all the fuzzy centre of the artichoke
8) Once all clean, rub the artichoke centres with the lemon half and immediately place the artichoke in the lemon water you prepared earlier. You can throw in the lemon half into the water
PREPARING THE STUFFING:
1) Melt the butter/margarine, add 2 tbsp of olive oil
2) Add the spring onions, the chili flakes, and the garlic, stir well
3) Add the peeled and finely chopped artichoke stems
4) After about 2 minutes, add the tomato paste and fry for a few minutes before adding the rice
5) Once the rice is in stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the rice absorbs all the oil and the tomato paste
6) Add the parsley and the dill, stir well
7) Add salt and pepper to taste
8) Cook through for about 3 minutes and set aside to cool down
PREPARING THE SAUCE:
1) Place the quartered tomatoes in the blender
2) Blitz until it is all smooth
3) Add the ½ cup of sunflower and ¼ cup of olive oil
4) Add the juice of half a lemon, 1 cup of water and blitz again (add more water if it is too thick)
5) Place some of the mixture in the base of the pot you plan to cook the artichokes in
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER :
1) Take the artichokes out of the lemon water, shake well
2) Press on the top (or bang it on the cutting board) to open up the artichoke for filling
3) Spoon in the stuffing you made into the artichoke, first the centre and then the sides
4) Place in the pot for cooking, facing up
5) Once all the artichokes have been stuffed and placed in the pot pour the tomato sauce mixture over the artichokes
6) The artichokes should be immersed in the sauce at least halfway, if there isn’t enough sauce then just add water (pouring it in a circular motion)
7) Cook for about 40-50 minutes, medium heat, on the stove
8) Check first at 40 minutes, if the rice is cooked the artichoke is cooked
9) Serve with some fresh dill and parsley mix, along with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce
ENJOY!
Cigdem Sidney Ozdemircelik 