Braised Marinated Artichokes

Artichokes braised in white wine and olive oil with shallots, garlic, parsley, and mint. Served warm or at room temperature, it's a perfect make-ahead dish.

Braised Artichokes
Elise Bauer

Raise your hand if you love artichokes! Usually I prepare mine steamed, with a little balsamic mayo for dipping. But this braising method is quickly becoming a favorite.

Quartered and prepped artichokes are braised in white wine and olive oil with shallots, garlic, bay leaves, parsley and mint.

The artichokes are served slightly warm or at room temperature, having marinated in their braising juices. A perfect make-ahead dish.

This dish is inspired by a classic Roman-style braised artichoke. For that dish, more of the outer leaves are trimmed off, and the artichokes are braised until they are completely tender and you can eat the whole thing with a fork and knife.

Braised Artichokes
Elise Bauer

The globe artichokes we get here in California are larger and tougher than the purple Roman artichokes used in the classic dish. So, we are still braising them, but keeping the leaves on and eating the leaves as if we would with a regular steamed artichoke.

If you want, you can just trim more of the leaves off of the artichokes, until you get to the most tender leaves in the center, and braise the artichokes that way.

Braised Marinated Artichokes

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 60 mins
Servings 4 servings

Choose globe artichokes whose petals are closed. They'll be fresher than artichokes whose petals have started to open wide. Frost-kissed artichokes are especially delicious, so even though they may look a little blemished, they'll taste great.

Ingredients

  • 2 large globe artichokes

  • 1 lemon

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 3/4 cup sliced shallots

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 cup dry white wine (such as a Sauvignon Blanc)

  • 3/4 cup water

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Method

  1. Prep the artichokes:

    Prepare a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze half a lemon into the water. Using a serrated knife (bread knife works well for this), cut off the top inch of the artichokes. Squeeze a little lemon over the cut areas to keep the artichokes from turning brown.

    Use kitchen shears to snip off the thorny tips of the artichoke leaves.

    slice the top off of artichokes to prep them
    Elise Bauer

    Use the serrated knife to cut the artichokes into quarters.

    Use a metal teaspoon to scrape away the hairy choke above the artichoke heart. Remove the small, papery, purplish leaves close to the choke. Rub the cut areas again with lemon.

    scoop out choke from artichoke
    Elise Bauer
    a quartered prepped artichoke
    Elise Bauer

    Place the quartered artichoke hearts into the bowl of acidulated water as you finish prepping them.

    cut artichokes in acidulated water
    Elise Bauer
  2. Sauté the shallots and garlic:

    Heat olive oil on medium heat in a thick-bottomed pot that will hold all of the artichokes tightly in a single layer. (Choose a pot with a tight-fitting lid.)

    cook shallots for braised artichokes
    Elise Bauer
    cooked shallots in pot
    Elise Bauer

    When the oil is hot, add the shallots and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened.

    Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

  3. Add the wine, water, bay leaves, salt, then simmer:

    Add the white wine, water, bay leaves, and salt to the pot. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4-inch. If not, add more water until there is. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for a minute.

    add wine and bay leaves to shallots in a pot
    Elise Bauer
  4. Add the quartered artichokes, simmer:

    Place the quartered artichokes, cut side down in a single layer, in the pot. Bring to a boil on high heat.

    Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes. (If it looks like the pot is at risk of running out of liquid, add more hot water to the pot.)

    add artichokes to shallots in a pot
    Elise Bauer
  5. Toss with the parsley, mint, continue to simmer:

    Then toss with the parsley and mint, turning the artichokes over to coat them with the sauce, cover again, and cook for an additional 5 to 15 minutes, until the leaves are tender and are easy to pull off the artichoke.

    cooked braised artichokes in pot
    Elise Bauer

    Note that older artichokes may take a longer cooking time (and therefore more water/wine in the pot) to get tender.

    Let cool to slightly warm or room temperature. Serve with some of the pan juices and shallots from the braising liquid. Especially good if you make a day ahead, giving the cooked artichokes more time to marinate. Just chill, and return to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
315 Calories
15g Fat
40g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 315
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 383mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 15%
Dietary Fiber 12g 42%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 121mg 604%
Calcium 98mg 8%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 752mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.