Easy Side Dish: Artichokes Provencal

If you were lucky enough to score some baby artichokes in March, then I hope you made good use of them. They are so special and easy to prepare, compared to the huge globe artichokes.



Since they are no longer available in my market, I opted for using canned artichokes for this recipe this time around.

This recipe is from the New York Times. Mark Bittman sautes baby artichokes in the pan along with Nicoise olives, cherry tomatoes and whole garlic cloves.

He simmers the mixture until the babies are tender and it is divine.



I used 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained very well
6 whole garlic cloves, out of the skins
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
fresh thyme sprigs
handful of small black olives (I left the pits in)
kosher salt and pepper

Cut the artichoke hearts in half and lay them in a heavy skillet w/ olive oil cut side down.

Season with kosher salt and pepper.

Add the whole garlic cloves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Add the tomatoes and olives and add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

This is delicious over pasta, or on bread as crostini!

Feel free to add shrimp to the pan the last few minutes of cooking to make this a delicious dinner.



Enjoy!