Spinach and artichoke mac and cheese

From Food Network
Serves 4

Ingredients
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup lightly packed shredded part-skim mozzarella
2/3 cup lightly packed shredded low-fat Swiss cheese
1/4 cup lightly packed grated Parmesan
One 6-ounce bag baby spinach (about 6 heaping cups)
One 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Position an oven rack at the center of the oven, and preheat the broiler.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water; strain the pasta.

Wipe out the pot. Add the butter, and melt over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and whisk constantly until it begins to toast, about 2 minutes. (The flour will form a thick paste, but that’s okay; just keep it moving in the pot.) Whisk in the milk and the reserved pasta water, and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick like gravy, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream, 2/3 cup of the mozzarella, the Swiss cheese and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Once the cheeses have melted, add the spinach, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the artichoke hearts, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Transfer to a broiler-safe 2-quart baking dish.

Stir together the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta. Broil until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Braised chicken with artichokes and olives

The Longevity Kitchen by Rebecca Katz
Serves 4
Ingredients

8 organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 11/2 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cups organic chicken broth, homemade (page 56) or 
store-bought
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and mixed with a spritz of lemon juice and a pinch of salt
8 thawed frozen or jarred artichoke hearts (see note), quartered
1/2 cup pitted green olives, such as picholine or manzanilla
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or cilantro

Pat the chicken dry and season salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary, and cook until well browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Decrease the heat to medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth to deglaze the pot, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot. Stir in a pinch of salt and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups of broth, the lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and olives and stir gently to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste; you may want to add another squeeze of lemon juice or pinch of salt. Garnish with the mint.

Chicken with mushrooms and artichokes

From “The Pioneer Woman”
Serves 8

Ingredients
8 whole Chicken Legs Or Thighs
Salt And Pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
5 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 cup White Wine, Or More To Taste
2 cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
1 whole 14.5 Ounce Can Artichoke Hearts, Drained , Rinsed, And Patted Dry
1 cup Heavy Cream
Freshly Chopped Chives To Taste
Freshly Grated Parmesan
16 ounces, weight Pasta – Cooked And Drained

Salt and pepper chicken pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add sliced mushrooms to pan with the garlic, and stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Add wine and cook for a minute while it evaporates.

Pour in chicken broth—you should have enough for it to be very liquidy. Stir to deglaze the pan, the add chicken back to pan. Add artichoke hearts. Put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat (or in a 375 degree oven) for 30 minutes, checking to make sure chicken broth doesn’t completely evaporate. (Add more as needed).
Remove lid and reduce heat to low. Remove chicken from pan. Pour in cream and shake/stir to distribute. Add chives, then add chicken back to pan.

Put lid on pan again and cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken sauce. Stir and check for seasonings; add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over cooked pasta. Top with more chives and Parmesan. Yum!

I love artichokes. I love that slightly salty/sour dimension that it adds to dishes. It’s like a more mellow version of the Chinese preserved vegetables that you can use to make pork stews.

I think if and when I have to go back to Singapore on a long term basis, I am going to buy cans of artichokes hearts as stock for my cooking.

Roasted (flattened) chicken with artichokes, lemon and thyme recipe

From the Telegraph
Serves 4

Ingredients
Serves four
4 artichokes or 8 tinned artichoke halves
2 lemons, halved
2 onions, thickly sliced into rings
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally
½ bunch lemon or normal thyme
½ bunch sage leaves
2 handfuls of black olives,
destoned
1 x approx 2kg/4.4lb chicken, deboned
Olive oil
300ml/10fl oz white wine
A handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. If using fresh artichokes, prepare them first. Have a bowl of water ready with half a lemon squeezed into it. Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichoke, then slice away the top third and lightly peel the artichoke stem. Slice in half lengthways before scooping out the hairy core. Place them in the acidulated water until ready to use.

In a large roasting tin, spread out the onions in a single layer, then dot the garlic and lemon halves around. Scatter the thyme sprigs, sage and olives over the top. Season the chicken on both sides, then place it, skin-side up, on the onions. If using fresh artichokes, distribute them around the chicken, tucking some underneath. Season them a little. Drizzle the chicken and fresh artichokes generously with olive oil and place in the oven for 25 minutes, adding the tinned artichokes (if using them instead) and pouring over the white wine for the final 10 minutes.

When the skin is golden and crisp and the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the oven. Cover and leave to rest. Remove the chicken from the pan, slice it up roughly, then return it to the roasting tin to serve it with all the other lovely ingredients and the cooking juices. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Linguine with artichoke, ham and lemon sauce

From Bowl Food
Serves 4

500g fresh linguine
25g butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
150g marinated artichokes, drained & quartered
150g sliced leg ham, cut into strips
300ml cream
2 tsp coarsely grated lemon rind
½ cup (15g) fresh basil, torn
1/3 cup (35g) Parmesan, grated

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente. Drain & return to pan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the garlic & cook over medium heat for one minute, or until fragrant. Add the artichokes and ham and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the cream and lemon zest, reduce the heat simmer for 5 minutes, gently breaking up the artichokes with a wooden spoon. Pour the sauce over the pasta, then add the basil and Parmesan and toss well until the pasta is evenly coated. Divide among four serving plates and serve immediately.

Nice simple pasta dish for post basketball meal. I used ham hock with Waitrose which gave the dish extra pork depth!