Seared Artichoke Hearts tossed in Arugula Pesto
from Carla Hall, Top Chef season 5 contestant and owner of Alchemy Caterers serves 4
1 12-oz package baby arugula
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, more for garnish
4 artichokes
1 lemon
1. Prepare the pesto: Toss arugula in enough olive oil to coat, about 3 tablespoons. Put in bowl of food processor and pulse 5 to 7 times, or enough to roughly chop arugula. Add in garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to pulse until mixture is smooth, or at desired consistency. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
2. Clean the artichokes: Have a bowl of water on hand with the juice of half a lemon. Cut off the top 1 1/2" to 2". Rub the cut pars with the other lemon half to keep the artichoke from turning brown while trimming. Remove all the leaves, starting with the outmost leaves first. Grab each leaf by the top and pull downward until all the leaves have been removed. Using a paring knife, remove the remaining hard leaf remnants around the base and 1/2" from the bottom of the stem. Cut the remaining piece in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the purple leaves and the hairy portion covering the choke. Slice or quarter the pieces as desired. Place pieces in lemon water until ready to cook.
3. Cook the artichokes in boiling salted water until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water and pat dry. Toss the pieces in olive oil and sear in a hot pan. Toss in 1 to 2 tablespoons of pesto. Serve immediately or at room temperature with shaved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.
