Fry

Heart of Gold

by:
May  5, 2010
4.5
2 Ratings
Heart of Gold
  • Serves 4 artichoke halves
Author Notes

Once, I spent a couple of hours watching Marcella Hazan fix an artichoke dish from her newest cookbook (at that time) An entire room full of students hyptnotically watched her peel the leaves off an artichoke one by one until she had a pile next to her. We were all wondering the same thing. Finally, someone asked "What are you going to do with those?" She looked puzzled for a few seconds and then announced that she was going to throw them away..."What would I do with them?" Now I understand that the artichoke heart was all she needed. If you have a fresh, just picked artichoke , the heart is pure gold! - dymnyno —dymnyno

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a simple recipe that really showcases the best part of the artichoke: the heart. As dymnyno notes, the fresher the artichoke the better. You get rid of all of the leaves (don't despair, it's worth it!), gently steam the artichoke hearts until just tender and then coat them in egg and panko before crisping them in a shallow pool of olive oil. The richness of the crust and the slight bitterness of the artichoke are offset by the bright, aromatic lime and cumin dipping sauce. Make sure to serve these warm, while they're still nice and crisp. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • 2 globe artichokes, preferable with some stalk.
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup dry bread crumbs
  • Creamy Cumin-Lime Dipping Sauce
  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • finely grated zest of a lime
  • juice of a lime
  • Salt
Directions
  1. Artichoke Hearts
  2. Prepare the artichokes: Peel all the leaves off the choke. Peel the stalk and with a paring knife neatly trim the bottom where you removed the leaves.
  3. Cut the trimmed artichokes in half vertically and with a spoon remove the hairy choke. Be careful when cutting in half to evenly cut the stem, too.
  4. Rub immediately with lemon juice so the artichoke doesn't get brown (which happens very quickly!). Steam the hearts until tender. Time will vary depending on the size of the hearts (about 15 minutes).
  5. Dip each artichoke half into the egg and then into the bread crumbs.
  6. Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until golden.
  7. Set on paper towels to absorb the oil.
  1. Creamy Cumin-Lime Dipping Sauce
  2. Mix all the ingredients together, adding salt to taste.
  3. Serve the golden hearts warm with the creamy dipping sauce.
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31 Reviews

A.
A. April 15, 2015
Looks delicious, but don't be so foolish as to throw away the peeled leaves! Steam them until the wide part of the leaf is tender, then dip them in your favorite artichoke dip (a childhood favorite is a blend of yellow mustard & lemon juice). I hate the thought of throwing away perfectly good food!
 
fhp
fhp August 27, 2012
I was so taken with the idea of artichoke cum cumin that I immediately tried this. Nice going.
BTW also read through many of your recipes. Loved the family chocolate cake story, debunked and all. But what really stopped me in my tracks was your love of anchovies and green sauce. The best "whole fish recipe" ever. Will be ever curiously watching, reading and trying your suggestions. Thanks.
 
Meatballs&Milkshakes
Meatballs&Milkshakes June 16, 2011
I made these (without the dipping sauce) and they were fantastic! Great, quick method!
 
dymnyno
dymnyno June 17, 2011
Thanks!
 
clintonhillbilly
clintonhillbilly May 22, 2010
Congratulations! We have three artichokes in our yard that are ready to eat, and we will make this recipe!
 
ChefJune
ChefJune May 19, 2010
Omigosh! I love these. There used to be a pizzeria in the North End of Boston that used to do artichoke hearts in a similar manner and then use them as pizza topping. Can you say "Dinner?"
 
Kitchen B.
Kitchen B. July 21, 2011
Pizza topping....WOW.Love the thought...
 
Amber O.
Amber O. May 19, 2010
Wonderful to see you win with this! Marcella has inspired me so much over the years...
 
drbabs
drbabs May 19, 2010
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm so happy for you!
 
Sippity S.
Sippity S. May 17, 2010
This is so beautiful and I am honored to share this moment with you. I have been out of town camping with no internet. This was such a great surprise to come home to. GREG
 
KarenA
KarenA May 17, 2010
my mother used to make these. They are the best, especially in a cold cut sandwich. yum.
 
Helenthenanny
Helenthenanny May 14, 2010
How beautiful! And delicious! Congratulations!
 
lapadia
lapadia May 14, 2010
A “Heart of Gold” in the finals…definitely has my vote!
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin May 13, 2010
These sound like such a treat!!! Yum! And that dipping sauce...mmmmm....mmm.
 
Kelsey B.
Kelsey B. May 13, 2010
I love artichokes and wish there was a "vote for both" recipes button this week!! These looks fabulous, the hearts are my favorite part.
 
MrsWheelbarrow
MrsWheelbarrow May 13, 2010
I made these last week and they are dangerously scrumptious. It's fortunate there's some work involved, or I'd be eating them all the time. Congratulations, dymnyno!
 
monkeymom
monkeymom May 13, 2010
Looks so good. Congrats dymnyno!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian May 13, 2010
Congratulations dymnyno!!! I make artichokes often and can't wait to try this. This is a must-have for our next potluck!
 
TasteFood
TasteFood May 13, 2010
This recipe sounds amazing. Fried artichoke hearts with panko and a creme fraiche sauce - what's not to love?
 
Culinista A.
Culinista A. May 13, 2010
Great combination, this looks delectable, can't wait to try it!
 
Denise
Denise May 13, 2010
Mmm mmm and the dipping sauce looks lovely too (I love toasted cumin).
 
drbabs
drbabs May 13, 2010
dymnyno, congratulations! artichokes, panko, creme fraiche--who wouldn't love this?! I have 2 large artichokes (and creme fraiche) in my refrigerator and house guests for the weekend--loking forward to this treat.
 
dymnyno
dymnyno May 13, 2010
Thank you!! I am honored to be a finalist.