Side Dishes
8 small artichokes
1 lemon
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or any cheese of choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parley flakes or 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 egg beaten
sunflower oil
These artichokes are like chips. Once you have one you can’t stop eating them. They may be served as appetizers or o’er d’ouvres, or as a vegetable dish to go along with your meal. If wine is served the artichokes and wine enhance each other’s taste. Try to buy fresh young artichokes as they are more tender and have fewer tough leaves to dispose of. They are an excellent source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Soaking them in lemon water allows the to release some of the bitterness that is associated with the dark colour that stains your hands when peeling the raw artichokes. The stains from your hands may be removed with salt and rubbing them with lemon juice.
Fill a large bowl 3/4 full of cold water and squeeze the juice of one lemon into it. Set aside.
Peel outer tough layers of artichokes and cut off stems and thorny tips. Then set artichoke down on a cutting board with open end down on board and slice artichokes from stem end down into about four to six slices (depending on size of artichoke) about 1 cm thick.
Place artichoke slices into lemon and cold water bowl to soak for about 20 min.
Beat egg in a dish and season with a dash of salt and pepper.
In a separate dish combine bread crumbs, grated cheese, parsley and salt and pepper and mix together.
Pour enough sunflower oil in a frying pan to cover pan about 1 cm in depth and heat oil on med. high heat.
Dip artichokes in egg and cover completely and the dip into crumb mixture and coat evenly Fry in med-high heat until golden. turn and fry other side. Place hot artichokes on paper towels and serve hot or cold.