The typical days leading up to my flight yesterday pretty much sums up to CRAZY-BUSY!! So if I’ve yet to respond to emails/comments/etc, promise to get back to normalcy soon.
Meantime, don’t just gawk at this photos. If you are like me, and haven’t tried artichokes ever, this is the recipe to begin the culinary journey of “introduction to artichokes“.
But before you get all too excited, I want to warn you of the repercussions.
The repercussions of cleaning and prepping artichokes are mind boggling. It takes a whole lotta attention to detail. But once you get the hang of things, it can be as easy as A-B-C.
Or you can always forget about getting the prickly stuff and approach the frozen ail in your local grocery store to grab a bag of artichoke hearts.
It’ll do you good.
I’ve shaved precious time prepping the artichokes from scratch. So if you are using store-bought, don’t tell me. Because I can guarantee of being ENVIOUS.
Let’s talk about my flight to Scottsdale. Well, it was so bumpy. There was turbulence almost 90% of the time and it was a miserable 5 hours journey.
But I made it and cannot wait to explore this new place. There’s so much to share with you, especially the landscapes since Arizona is so different from Florida.
Let’s just say that this is a warning to future posts that might or not feature cactus. There’s plenty of cactus and sand over here.
Not your typical beach sand (i wish!). It’s more desert-y.
Ingredients:
- 12 baby ‘chokes
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 garlic head, halved
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 3.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, walnuts & fresh chives.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Soak raw walnuts in some hot water for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Prep fresh artichokes or use store-bought artichoke hearts.
- Place artichoke hearts on a cookie sheet with a head of garlic, halved. Drizzle 3 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt. Mix everything to coat well.
- Sprinkle fresh thyme and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until baby artichokes are cooked through & garlic are soft and browned.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in the hot skillet and add sliced shallots. Cook for a few minutes or until fragrant and translucent.
- In a small spice blender, blend raw walnuts with a few tablespoons of vegetable stock. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add roasted artichokes and 5 cloves of roasted garlic in the skillet with shallots. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt & black pepper.
- Drizzle vegetable broth, creamy walnuts and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Check soup for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Remove thick concoction from heat to cool.
- Using a hand blended, blend thick soup until smooth and creamy.
- Serve hot, warm or chilled with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkling of sea salt, walnuts & fresh chives.
We are putting up in a hotel at the moment and need to go home hunting now. Cannot wait to unpack and return to normalcy from this unusual and interesting location.
Promise to talk about it all soon. Have a Happy Weekend 🙂
What’s your favorite artichoke recipe?
Comments on this entry are closed.
Such a wonderful combination of soup 🙂 Beautiful pictures Kiran.
Pavithra — thanks dear 🙂
I love Scottsdale. I think it’s a vibrant young community and there are some great places to eat. It’s not the same as O’do but savor the experience.
Love your artichoke and walnut soup!!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Food Writer Fridays – Jessica Wood from Cajunlicious
Maureen — I concur with your observations on Scottsdale, thanks for sharing love 🙂
A refined soup! Just heavenly.
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa — thanks sweetie 🙂
This soup seems so refreshing! Great chilly springtime soup. Sorry about the bad flight, those are always the worst. Good luck on house hunting! Glad there’s exciting things going on, even though it’s kind of an inconvenience to be going back and forth.
Margarita recently posted..Food Blog Finds Made at Home
Margarita — thanks dear, flights are terribly uncomfortable at times. But most importantly, we landed safely 🙂
And yes, a lot of changes and so much travelling in between — fingers crossed that everything pans out perfectly 🙂
Congrats on the move Kiran! I love Scottsdale!!! You have to go to The Farm at South Mountain! They have three restaurants, we only ate at Quiessence and it was amazing!
Alyssa @ Everyday Maven recently posted..GBOTW: Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad from Rachel Cooks Thai
Alyssa — thanks for the suggestions, dear. I cannot wait to explore Scottsdale now that you’ve recommended some deliciousness 😀
Your moving? exciting!! great soup, thank you for sharing..have fun!
vianney recently posted..Strawberry Lime Margarita
Vianney — moved for a few months to Scottsdale, Arizona 🙂
Gorgeous gorgeous pictures! Hope the rest of the move goes well!
Kathryn recently posted..brown butter shortbread
Kathryn — thanks a lot sweetie 🙂 xoxo
I dont know where you have moved to… well I know Arizona, but that’s all. I look forward to seeing it. A lot of work has gone into this soup but I am sure it would have been delicious
tania@mykitchenstories recently posted..Tuna Cakes with Preserved Lemon and Whipped Feta
Tania — we moved to Scottsdale, Arizona 🙂
This looks really good. I love your photos [: Hope you are enjoying the desert!!
Rikki recently posted..Sprout Creek Farm
Rikki — thanks love 🙂
I just love your photos in this post! Even more than I normally do, and that’s a LOT 🙂 Have a wonderful adventurous time in Scottsdale. I was there for a blogger tour this time last year and it was wonderful.
the wicked noodle recently posted..skillet cookie {with toffee & chocolate chips}
What a lovely soup & enjoy your time in Arizona!
Cher recently posted..Something New… (Daring Bakers April ’12 Challenge: Nazook & Nutmeg Cake)
The pictures look absolutely yummy… wonder what the dish will taste like 🙂
Quick Asian Recipes recently posted..Aaloo Paratha from India
Absolutely gorgeous, stunning soup! I love cooking with artichokes, although I’m often lazy and use artichoke hearts in olive oil, easy peasy;)
Denise recently posted..Bircher Muesli (or Overnight Oatmeal)
What a gorgeous soup! And stunning photos as always. (ps, I voted for you on Saveur – good luck!!!)
I love artichokes! And I am very intrigued by this combination of flavors: it must be really nice!
PolaM recently posted..World on a plate: ricotta and spinach quiche
This soup looks so warm and comforting – I love the flavours in it 😀
Wonderful job!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..A Belated Tribute: Anzac Day 2012
I’m all about artichokes lately, love this!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen recently posted..Sautéed Radishes with Fava Beans | A Radish Revelation
oh yumm lovely ingredients combo. artichoke and walnut, thyme and lemon…
u call your chokes? lol
I wish u a lovely time in Arizona Kiran! 😀
Wow, that looks great! I love when recipes call for veggie broth right off the bat so I don’t have to do replacements.
Gorgeous!!!
What lovely and stunning pictures…
This soup looks awesomely delicious…
I have recently started playing with artichoke at home….
B/W Wish you beautiful and lovely times in ur new nest!!!
Never have I ever had artichoke in a soup – seems so obvious though now that you’ve whipped up such a delicious bowl. You always share such wonderful recipes, I’m so glad to have connected with you. And your photography is to-die-for…
Feast on the Cheap recently posted..S’more Brownies
This looks really yummy 🙂 I’m making cream of broccoli soup this morning. Such great weather for soup!
Cass @foodmyfriend recently posted..Stuffed, Fried Olives
As always, you have amazing pictures…Can’t wait to try another recipe with artichoke, already dreaming of the fruity flavor and aroma it imparts to the recipe. Enjoy your new place, Kiran.
myfudo recently posted..easy desserts & recipes: cupcake pops
Looks yummy! I have never made artichoke before, this will be a to do on my list!
mycookinghut recently posted..Grilled Prawns with Asian-Style Mango Salsa
A divine & tasty alternative soup! So unusale too! 😉
Sophie recently posted..Vegan spelt rhubarb cake with chocolate chips
Cleaning artichokes is NOT fun! Bless your heart!
What a gorgeous bowl of soup! Love the idea of using roasted artichokes. Really bumps up the flavor. 🙂
Baker Street recently posted..Cookies and Cream Pound Cake