This is a not-so-famous Middle Eastern dish, and I never understood the fuss about it. My husband used to crave it and his parents would cook it for us, I mean I would eat it but it just never stuck in my taste buds.
But the other day while I was grocery shopping I had this unbelievably weird craving for it and the flavors started pouring into my memory! Does that ever happen to you? A sudden memory of a dish or ingredient that you never cared for?
So I went ahead and bought the frozen artichokes and called my husband to set a lunch date! Haha I was really looking forward to this lunch!
I was so not disappointed, and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. Loved every single part of it, the warm lemony sauce that the artichokes were immersed in, the crispy fried pine nuts on the top, and the refreshingly cold yoghurt served with the vermicelli rice. Yum! Yum! Yum!
Baked Artichoke Heart
Remove artichokes from bag and place on tray an hour before frying
Ingredients
- 2 bags frozen artichoke hearts
- 2 and 1/2 cups cooking oil (for deep frying)
- 250g minced meat
- 3 TB cooking oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TB all spice
- For Sauce:
- 4 TB flour
- 1 and 1/2 cup boiling water
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 TB pine nuts
- 1 TB butter
- Rice:
- 3 TB cooking oil
- 1 handful vermicelli
- 1 cup American rice (washed and drained)
- 1 TB salt
- 1 cup and a half water
- Serve with greek yoghurt
Directions
- Step 1 Once Artichokes have completely defrosted (I keep them out on tray for 1H before frying), heat cooking oil in deep fryer and deep fry artichokes until golden brown. Remove them and place on paper napkins to remove excess oil.
- Step 2 In a separate pan, heat the 3 TB of oil and fry minced meat all the while cutting up finely. Add salt and all spice and mix well.
- Step 3 In a medium glass bowl, place flour and gradually add boiling water while whisking really well to avoid any lumps. Add in the lemon juice and salt and keep whisking. You want a sauce thats a little runny but just a tad thick.
- Step 4 Preheat Oven at 170 degrees celsius.
- Step 5 Place the artichokes on the base of a pyrex tray. In each heart, put 1 TB of the minced meat mix. Once all the hearts are filled, pour the lemon sauce all over avoiding any of the hearts flipping over. Cover tray with aluminum foil and bake for 30M.
- Step 6 In the meantime prepare rice in a small pot. Heat the oil and on medium heat add the vermicelli while stirring and crushing to make sure all sides turn golden. Slowly add in rice, and stir a little while sprinkling salt. Add the water and turn up to high heat and cover pot. Once the water starts boiling, put on very low heat and leave to cook until all the water evaporates. Should take around 20M.
- Step 7 At 30M mark, remove foil on the artichokes and roast from the top for 5M to achieve golden color.
- Step 8 Melt butter in saucepan, and add the pine nuts. Keep stirring until golden. Sprinkle all over the artichokes.
- Step 9 Serve with rice and yoghurt.