Artichoke egg casserole

Artichoke egg casserole recipe

Preparation

• - Prepare artichokes.
  Snap off every stalk close to the base, pulling out any fibres which would extend into the bottom.
  Cut off the pointed top of every artichoke and, using kitchen scissors, trim its leaves to remove spines and any brown edges.
  Cut every artichoke in thin slices lengthways and plunge them in lemon water.
  Your artichokes are ready to be cooked.

Cooking

• - Cook artichokes.
  Sauté shallot in olive oil on very low heat.
  Add artichokes and let all your ingredients flavor, stirring now and then, on medium heat.
  At this point add half the chives and parsley, cover scarcely with hot water or vegetable stock, if you prefer. and continue cooking for about ten minutes.
  Your artichokes must be al dente stage (in other words some minutes or so from being done) and cooking juice well reduced.
  So you have to increase heat if necessary.
  Turn off the stove, season to taste with salt and stir.
• - Baking.
  Preheat oven to 350 °F (180°C).
  Spoon artichokes on the bottom of a little baking pan.
  Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and add the remaining chives and parsley.
  Spread equally your egg mixture on the artichoke surface and bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the surface is golden or a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Just before serving

• - Wait for some minutes before serving.

Note

Tips

• - Choose artichokes with thorns (Spined variety) for the best result.
• - For a quicker recipe use dried aromatic herbs but remember that your recipe will have a less intense taste.
• - You can cook artichokes ahead and complete your recipe just before serving.
• - You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino) to the beaten eggs but nutrition facts become greater ...

Menu planning

• - Serve artichoke egg casserole as main dish with a seasonal side-dish in your family menu or in a buffet with other warm or cold dishes or choose it as brunch or drunch course.
  You can eat this egg casserole standing, for it is soft and you can cut every piece with your fork easily.
  You can combine this artichoke dish with stuffed vegetables, assorted salami, sliced pizzas and focaccia, savory tarts.
  Remember we Italians serve it in assorted antipasto platter too.

Healthy eating

• - As you can see reading artichoke-and-egg casserole nutrition facts, this is a typical one-plate meal if you choose it for your family weekly menu. Accompany it with a green seasonal salad and 50g (1 3/4 ounce) wholemeal bread.
  
• - Please note the artichoke high amount of fiber that can easily give a sense of satiety. Precious for people pn a diet. Besides artichokes are rich in water too.
• - Artichokes have a lot of cynarin too. It is located especially in the pulp of their leaves but in dried leaves and stems too. Cynarin increases bile production, makes easy digestion, helps liver function, lowers HDL/LDL ratio. This reduces cholesterol levels which diminishes the risk for arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

Loretta

What's the right wine ?

Please, don't match wine with artichokes. This combination often gives bad results. What about a beer?