If artichokes are an ingredient in a recipe, I immediately start drooling which explains why I couldn’t resist buying a jar of Lemon Artichoke Pesto at Bella Cucina Porta Via when the opportunity presented. When I used the last bit to make bruschetta last week, I detoured to the shop to buy more. Unfortunately, the shop has gone out of business, so I decided to attempt to make some myself. The label on the jar stated that the pesto “contains artichokes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, canola oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, and spices.” So with some experimentation, I came up with a good reproduction.And, I do mean good. I mean lick-the-spoon-and-dig-in-for-more good. It is the kind of good that you don’t want to share. You want to go sit in a corner by yourself with a spoon and enjoy every last spoonful. If you can somehow avoid the temptation to eat it straight out of the food processor, then try smearing some on a toasty piece of crostini. Or you could try it with some orzo for an easy summer dinner. The possibilities are endless provided you don’t eat it all straight from the jar.
Lemon Artichoke Pesto- 1 9-oz. package of frozen artichoke hearts
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- Generous pinch of Salt
- Pepper to taste
Garlic is a key component in countless Italian recipes, but we don’t always want that pungent raw flavor. Raw garlic’s harshness comes from a compound called “allicin”, which forms as soon as the clove’s cells are ruptured and continues to build as it sits. Since the citric acid in lemon juice hastens the conversion of harsh-tasting allicin to more mellow compounds called thiosulfonates, disulfides, and trisulfides, we recommend steeping sliced garlic in the lemon juice while you get the other ingredients ready. Heating the sliced garlic in olive oil is another method to mellow the garlic which produces the same milder-tasting compounds that form when the garlic is steeped.
Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep for two weeks or so (if it lasts that long).
Did I mention it would make a good hot dip too?1 cup Artichoke Lemon Pesto
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Mix together all ingredients and spoon into a baking dish and evenly sprinkle a little more cheese over the top. Bake the dip for 30 minutes or until golden crust forms on the top. Serve with crusty bread or pita chips.