Certain kitchen jobs are just not fun: Like plucking artichokes. Fortunately, the bottoms are available in all Middle-Eastern shops in the US or Canada and in every supermarket in Lebanon.
These are filled with a spinach custard; baked and topped with a slice of hard-boiled egg; it would be great too with a poached egg come to think of it!
INGREDIENTS: 6 servings
- 1 bag of artichoke bottoms
- 1 pound of spinach, washed well
- 2 cups of milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 4 tbsp of unsalted butter
- salt, white pepper and grated nutmeg, to taste
- dash of paprika
- 1 cup of shredded swiss or other hard cheese
METHOD:
- Boil the artichoke bottoms in salted and lemony water for 8 minutes or till tender; drain and set aside. Cook the spinach in 1/2 cup of water till wilted, drain and squeeze well; chop the spinach.
- Make the white sauce: melt the butter till frothy, add the flour, stir and add the milk gradually stirring till creamy and thick; add the spices to taste. Add the spinach. Cool the mixture and whisk in 2 eggs then the cheese. Spoon into an ovenproof dish and onto each bottom.
- Bake for about 15 minutes in a 350F oven; serve with sliced hard-boiled eggs.
32 Comments
Elle est très originale ta recette, j’aime beaucoup! Have a nice day.
That is a scrumptious combination! A fabulous dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
lovely recipe!
Those are so interesting! I had an Italian friend who made stuffed artichokes (the whole artichoke) with garlic and breadcrumbs, and they were so good! These look healthier!
I totally agree with you Joumana. Plucking artichokes is certainly not fun.
Love this idea of filling them with spinach and eggs. They look so pretty!
Mmmm I will remember that when my artichokes are ready. Thanks Diane
These are awesome! Anything with an egg is bound to be awesome.
Yes, I love artichokes, but the labor factor is always significant. I’ll have to hunt down these pre-plucked bottoms.
I know what you mean about cleaning artichokes!!! I’ve never seen fresh artichoke bottoms at any store here – only the canned ones which I don’t care for. The bottom is the best. Delicious looking recipe and what a beautiful scene with blue sea and skies.
Sure tempt me with this delicious recipe and tell me I cannot find artichoke bottoms here (I cannot) and have to pluck them myself. Not fair.
Marvelous
Spinach custard sounds divine, what a lovely sauce! I adore all things artichoke and I am sure this would be no exception…wonderful recipe!
This is an exciting recipe for artichokes, spinach and eggs. Each of the ingredients shines in this dish. I agree with you that poached eggs would be wonderful as well.
Beautiful recipe I love artichokes. Is that the corniche in Beirut?
Oddly, I don’t mind trimming artichokes and, as a professional cook, I’ve had to trim a lot of artichokes, often in a single sitting (or standing, in my case, over work counters designed for people considerably shorter than I). The tiny, remarkably sharp needles at the ends of the leaves are certainly unpleasant, and I’ve always disliked the way artichokes discolor my knives but the task itself is calming and, like many physical jobs, instantly rewarding. For all the labor, one is rewarded with a pile of tender, grassy hearts. You can avoid much of the hassle, of course, and buy baby artichokes. Most of the tiny artichokes are edible and require less trimming but, if like me you don’t mind the work, it doesn’t really matter. The artichoke is reward enough.
Une idée bien sympa pour les prochaines journées ensoleillées, bisous et bon mardi
@Mama’s Lebanese kitchen: Yes, it is the Corniche this past Sunday.
@Eric: Great you enjoy trimming artichokes! To each his own I guess! I favor peeling chickpeas and most of my friends don’t!
I really ought to get off my hiney and go look for these artichoke bottoms – I love that you took a staple spinach sauce and jazzed it up like this – the egg on top is just precious!
Love it Joumana and the pic of the view is not bad either!
chow
Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Oh la la quelle jolie recette!! Elle doit etre trooooop bon!! Bonne soirée.
Une recette délicieuse et tentante, des ingrédients que j’aime en toute saison. Merci.
Mouthwatering here, wat a terrific and super tempting dish.
My dearly beloved would be crazy about his… artichoke hearts and creamed spinach are huge favorites of his… getting to have them together would make his day… great recipe!
My mom used to make ground beef-stuffed artichoke bottoms. As a kid I remember I used to eat the meat out and leave the artichokes. Now, I love them!
Wow, I never had stuffed artichokes bottoms…they look great, especially with the half egg on it.
Beautiful pictures Joumana…hope you are having a great week
I’m definitely going to see if our local Middle Eastern markets carry artichoke bottoms! I never thought to look for them before.
J’ai acheté des fonds d’artichauts surgelés de très bonne qualité hier, justement. Par contre, j’ai mangé les épinards frais achetés dimanche au marché … dans des cannelloni à la ricotta. Il n’y a plus qu’à retourner en acheter, alors … J’aime beaucoup ton idée. Ça fera un dîner original.
Bisous et bonne journée
Hélène
I love the idea of a poached egg. Thanks for your rice flour cookie recipe by the way.
I love them too, Joumana. What a super recipe. I eat artichokes once a week at least….have made them many different ways. Can’t wait to try this.
Thank you Joumana for the recipe, it’s sure delicious…I hope I will find some artichoke bottoms in the arabic store near us, I never thought to look for it there.
You have been tagged here http://goodcooks.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/creamy-rice-and-orange-pudding/
I Will be very happy when I enjoy some about yours, thanks so much Joumana.
Beautiful recipe, I am a huge fan or artichokes. Never made them this way before. I am impressed with the color of these egg yolks. They look just like the ones from the hens we raised in our back yard back in Brazil. In America even when you spend 9 bucks for a dozen of ;cage free; organic eggs you don’t get egg yolks as colorful as these.
Heguiberto
@Heguiberto: I was impressed with their color too! Every egg I cracked had a bright orange big yolk!
Sadly, I can’t get fully trimmed artichoke bottoms where I live, and after prepping countless ones while a student in Paris, I have sworn off of them. Too bad, because this dish looks delicious!