As a passionate food lover and health enthusiast, I’m always trying to marry delicious with healthful. Herbs are the key to everything in my kitchen. They add enticing aroma, fresh flavor and vivid green color to our food, and also have remarkable health benefits. Herbs have been used since ancient times for their medicinal properties, mostly in teas and tinctures. More recently, their value as a healthy ingredient has been realized. Herbs allow you to cut back on salt without sacrificing taste. And several herbs, such as parsley, have significant amounts of the essential vitamins A, C and K. Their true power lies in the polyphenols they contain—plant compounds with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Polyphenols are anti-microbial, so they can help protect us from harmful bacteria as well.
YIELDS
2 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 8–10 small canned/jarred artichokes, drained
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup each fresh herbs of your choice (I used sage, parsley, rosemary & thyme)
- to taste freshly ground pepper
- to taste sea salt
Directions
1. Drain the artichokes from the liquid or oil they were stored in. (I prefer the ones stored in water but if you use the ones preserved in oil you can use the oil for the recipe and keep the rest in the fridge instead of throwing it away.)
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil with the chopped herbs, garlic powder and a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Stuff the artichokes between their leaves with the oil-herb mixture. If you’re left with extra oil, set aside for later.
4. Using a smaller pan, heat up some oil. Once it’s hot, place the artichokes in the pan. Pour the juice of the lemon over them. You can even add the zest, if you love it. Keep rotating them so all their sides gets evenly golden brown. Once cooked, remove them from the pan. If you have leftover oil you can pour it over them or top them with more fresh herbs.
5. Serve warm or cold as antipasti, side dish or even main.
Also by Imola: Asian-Inspired Mango Avocado Ceviche
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Photo: Imola Toth
