Although things didn’t work out with my college boyfriend, he will always be remembered as the person who introduced me to artichokes. He would steam them and serve them with garlic butter — a simple preparation that made me fall in love with the vegetable.
Since artichokes are a lot of work to prepare, marinated ‘choux is a great alternative. Tossed in a mixture of olive oil, vinegar, garlic and herbs, Trader Joe’s Marinated Artichokes on the Go A $1.29 pantry superhero.
Designed for single-serve artichoke cravings, they’re perfect as a snack or portable lunch item (hello, mini antipasto platter!) They’re a jack-of-all-trades for adding a tangy, briny punch to all kinds of dishes. There are also all-trades. One pouch contains a 1.58-ounce snack-sized serving, but a little goes a long way to add pronounced flavor to larger dishes.
Many ways I use Trader Joe’s marinated artichoke hearts.
Friday night is pizza movie night for my family, and we often Make our own Or jazz up something already made. In either case, artichoke hearts are the perfect topper.
To add depth to the salad, I mix in a couple of artichoke hearts. My vinaigrette Along with the usual suspects – olive oil, fresh lemon juice, shallots, garlic, Dijon mustard, a pinch of sugar, and white wine vinegar.
Artichoke hearts are roasted with other vegetables, especially potatoes. I roast them properly. Along with the potatoes for extra flavor. They also add a little je ne sais quoi to frittatas, pasta dishes, and more. Bruschetta.
Artichoke hearts feature prominently in my favorite party dish, An artichoke and olive spread From the Smitten Kitchen archives that converts even olive and artichoke haters. You will get compliments about this dish wherever you take it.
It calls for more artichokes, but the result is worth it (and you can easily halve the recipe). This is one of the first dishes I made when my husband and I were new parents and couldn’t go on regular dates.
On Friday nights after our daughter goes to bed, we’ll make a cocktail and a semi-fancy dinner and hang out at home. Deb’s olive and artichoke crostini often made it into the rotation and helped me reimagine my use of artichokes.
There’s no shortage of ways to use up these tender and flavorful artichoke hearts, so I always grab at least six at a time to make sure I never run out. They promote a back pocket flavor that I indulge in time and time again.
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