It was a peck-ish day, as all good days are. It started with a musing and idle wandering of my pupils around the back end of the pantry cabinet. A bottle of glorious artichoke emerged, bored of being shoved between the vegetable stock cubes and koka noodles (I know, insanely yum and satisfying – especially the mee goreng). Its day to shine had arrived. A peek into the refrigerator cast some light on a bottle of sun-dried tomatoes, half a roll of goats cheese, 4-5 spinach leaves and some aromatic and heart warming rosemary. Mmmmm….
Once grilled, the artichokes were almost soft, yet kind of al dente. Instead of serving with bread to make kind of a crostini (which would also have been amazing), we popped open a pack of black pepper flavoured savoury biscuits to kind of chip-n-dip style with this lil baby.
A Joie De Vivre original, based on pantry finds and a wandering mind. Go figure! 😛
Ingredients:
- 280-300gm artichoke (I used the bottle variety, such as Sacla available on Olive Tree Trading)
- 50 gm chevre/ soft goats cheese, crumbled
- 2-3 pieces sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and cut into chunks
- 4-5 leaves of spinach, cleaned
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tbs olive oil (+ 1 tsp for greasing)
- Salt and course Snapin pepper, to taste
- Baguette or crackers, to serve
Method:
- In a oven proof dish, grease the bottom with either cooking spray (such as Pam) or brush with olive oil. Line with the spinach leaves, to form a base bed of sorts.
- Spread out the artichokes, belly up, and dot with the sun dried tomato chunks, crumbled cheese and season to taste.
- Add the rosemary springs on top, drizzle the olive oil, and grill for 15-20 minutes, until the artichoke is tender and the cheese molten.
- Serve warm, with baguette, as a crostini or with a side of crackers.
If you liked this post, you may also like:
- Roast Carrot Salad with Caramelised Garlic, Camembert, Basil and Balsamic Glaze
- Grilled Pear, Honey and Brie Crostini
- Spiced Potato Wedges
Feedback:
- I found that this was rather a versatile concept, grilling anything you have on hand with some herbs, cheese and greens, is quite a fail safe and golden ticket.
- A wonderful way to maintain the integrity of the artichoke, without making it unpalatable for people who are not as familiar with this beautiful ingredient.
- You could make this a crostini by layering the grilled dish onto some toasted baguette.
