Artichoke Piccata

Preparation

Remove any small random leaves protruding from the top of the artichoke stems. Flip the artichokes stem side down under a running faucet and let the water fill the spaces between the leaves. Turn it over to drain, then repeat.

Trim ¼ inch from the end of the stems to remove dry, dark spots. Put the artichokes in a pan of water with a teaspoon of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium. If your lid doesn’t have a vent hole, place the lid at an angle to allow steam to escape. Cook until one of the larger top leaves easily pulls away from the stem with a firm pull. This will be about 25 minutes after reaching a boil. Remove from pan and drain.

Hold the artichoke on the leaves with the stem up. Using a sharp knife, cut down the center of the stem and along the leaves to make 2 equal sized halves. Pull out the small, paper-thin leaves in the center and scrape out the strangleholds.

Lightly coat the cut side of the artichoke with flour. Place it gently face down on the flour, but don’t press it down.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted, place the artichokes sugar coated side down and cook until the flour is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place the artichokes golden side up in a large serving dish with raised sides.

Deglaze the skillet with the chicken broth and wine, stirring to loosen any browned bits of flour. Add the garlic, lemon juice, capers and remaining butter. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, if needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3/4 of its original volume. The sauce will still be runny.

Pour the piccata sauce directly out of the pan also over the artichokes in the serving dish. Be sure to scrape all the bits of garlic and capers from the pan. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.