Right now artichokes are in season in the Mediterranean, and oh boy, are they ever cheap here in Barcelona. Last week I bought some gorgeous specimens for 0.99 euro cents/kilo, or around 60 cents a pound, an unthinkably cheap price for artichokes in the Midwest where artichokes are like spiky thistle gold when it comes to price.
They were too gorgeous to require much embellishment for a meal, so I boiled them and then sauteed them in diced tomatoes and onions with a little olive oil, then served them up with quinoa cooked in the artichoke water and tossed into the tomato and onion mix. Tasty, vegan, and gluten-free, not to mention low fat, and high in fiber, this Peruvian pseudo-cereal is source of complete protein, not to mention ,calcium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. Let’s here it for super foods!
Side note: 2013 has been declared the International Year of Quinoa by the United Nations.
Recipe for Tomato Onion Quinoa with Fresh Artichokes (serves 2)
Ingredients:
- 3 large artichokes
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned, but fresh would work too)
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp red pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice (to keep the artichokes from browning)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Wash the artichokes and cut them in halves
- Remove any thorns and peel the stems.
- Cook the artichokes with the quinoa in boiling water with the lemon juice for ten minutes.
- Sauté the tomatoes, garlic and onions in olive oil in a large skillet.
- Remove the artichokes from the boiling water and sauté with the tomatoes and onions.
- Turn down the heat on the skillet, add in drained quinoa and cover for 5 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the center of the artichokes is tender and creamy.
Mmmm! Just remember, whole (or even halved artichokes are a messy eat. The outer leaves are kind of like the vegetable equivalent of ribs, you have to scrape the meat off them with your teeth…
Artichoke bones- Chris Ciolli
