ARTICHOKES
2 large lemons, halved
5 medium artichokes
10 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
STEW
12 small red-skinned potatoes
1 tbsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp (packed) stemmed saffron
18 mussels, scrubbed,debearded
3/4 cup chopped shallots
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 bunch chives, chopped
Directions
Artichokes: Squeeze juice from 2 lemon halves into a large bowl; add
lemon halves. Fill bowl with water.
To prepare an artichoke for cooking, first cut off the stem. Starting
at the base of the artichoke, bend the tough dark green outer leaves
back and snap them off where they break naturally: continue until all
of the outer leaves have been removed, leaving a cone of tender pale
green leaves. Using a small sharp knife, trim the outside edge of the
base of the artichoke until it is smooth. Rub the trimmed edge with 1
of the remaining lemon halves. Cut artichoke lengthwise into
quarters. Rub the cut sides of these quarters with lemon to prevent
any discoloration. Using the small knife, carefully cut out the hairy
choke and the spiky purple-tipped leaves from each artichoke quarter.
Rub each cut area with lemon. Trim the tougher leaf tops from each
quarter so that all that remains is the choicest, most tender portion
of the artichoke. Cut quarter into two wedges. Places wedges into the
lemon water. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
Bring the chicken broth, olive oil and bay leaf to a boil in a heavy
large pot (do not use aluminum or cast iron). Drain artichokes; add
to pot. Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until
artichokes are tender, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon,
transfer artichokes to medium bowl. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid in
small bowl.
Stew: Place potatoes, salt, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and
celery seeds in large saucepan. Pour in enough cold water to cover
potatoes generously. Boil until potatoes are tender, about 20
minutes. Drain. Cool 15 minutes; peel. Stir saffron in heavy large
pot over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add
reserved 1 cup cooking liquid; bring to simmer. Add artichokes,
potatoes, mussels, shallots, butter and 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds.
Bring to boil. Cover pot; cook until mussels open and potatoes are
golden, about 8 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Mix in green
onions. Season with salt and pepper. Divide stew among 6 shallow soup
bowls. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
Bon Appetit, March 1997
Servings: 6 servings
Artichoke Stew With Mussels~ Potatoes & Saffron Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Fish; Potato; Seafood; Soup; Stew
The History of Recipes
Historians have proved the existence of recipes way back into distant history, at least as far back into recorded history as the ancient Egyptians, and maybe even further. In practice though, generally, these early cookbooks were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for meal preparation.
Progressing into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a few documents describing recipes prepared by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. He also recounts how the cooks of his times made use of many different aromatic flavors, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs for example basil, fennel and asafoetida. Over the next few centuries, the upper-class families of Wesstern Europe competed with each other to offer the most exotic banquets, and consequentially chefs and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 19th century that fine cooking and recipe collections became really popular. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collating, trying out, and publishing recipes common in their social group. By the arrival of the twentieth century, cookery publications were in great demand, mostly due to better eduction, increased leisure time and having more money. |
We hope you enjoy this Artichoke Stew With Mussels~ Potatoes & Saffron recipe.
