A lemony Raw Artichoke and Little Gem Salad and Andre's Father's Day gift guide.
Plus, Costa and Paolo's favorite new comic book shop.
Raw Artichoke and Little Gem Salad
Growing up, I always loved artichokes, but we only ever had them one way, steamed and served with salty, melted lemon butter for dipping. With all the beautiful varietals of artichokes popping up at the farmers market the past few weeks, we've been experimenting with this delicious spring vegetable and have fallen in love with this refreshing raw baby artichoke salad that is tart, bright, and super simple to make.
Here are a few tips for buying artichokes before we jump into the recipe:
Make sure the leaves are tightly closed and compact for both baby and regular artichokes. The leaves should feel firm when gently squeezed.
A fresh artichoke should have a firm stem. The cut end of the stem should be moist and not dried out or discolored.
Pick them up. Artichokes should feel relatively heavy for their size, indicating freshness and moisture content.
RAW ARTICHOKE AND LITTLE GEM SALAD
Serves 4
1/2 lemon
3-5 baby artichokes (depending on size)
1-2 little gem lettuces, leaves removed and torn in half
2 large handfuls wild arugula
6 basil leaves
A block of good Parmigiano Reggiano
Sea salt
Black pepper
LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed in a garlic press
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Fill a bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into it to prevent the artichokes from turning brown. Set aside.
Prepare the baby artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, peeling them away until you reach the pale, tender inner leaves. Cut off about 1/2 inch from the top of each artichoke to remove the pointed tips. Clean and trim the stems of the artichokes, peeling away the outer layer to the exposed pale inner layer, and leaving about 1 inch attached to the base. Place the prepped artichokes in the cold lemon water.
One at a time cut the artichokes in half lengthwise. Remove the fuzzy choke from the center of each half using a small knife or spoon if necessary. Turn the artichoke cut side down and thinly slice lengthwise. You can also thinly slice them on a mandolin; just be careful of your fingertips! Immediately place the cut artichoke into the lemon water and set aside while you prepare the salad.
Next, make your vinaigrette. Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a mason jar or container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine.
Put the little gems and arugula into a large mixing bowl. Drain the artichokes and add them to the bowl. Thinly slice the basil leaves and add to the bowl as well. Begin shaving some Parmigiano Reggiano into the bowl with a vegetable peeler. Add the vinaigrette a little at a time, tossing the salad to coat. Taste and continue adding dressing and seasoning as needed with salt. Top with a final shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper.
Anyone who knows Andre knows he is very particular about what he likes. So, I'm super grateful he made this gift guide for all of us to benefit from, as he is by far the hardest person to shop for in my life, and I curate gifts for a living, ha!
THE GUIDE
Give the gift of a sound bath. Here is a place on the eastside and westside of LA.
The gift of music is always a good idea.
A float session at Pause Studio
Gift card to Mohawk General Store
This & That
While strolling with the kids the other day after school, we stumbled upon a cool new comic book and graphic novel shop called Secret Headquarters that opened in Atwater Village. Getting Costa excited about reading has been a challenge this past year, but he loves comic books. We've fully embraced letting this be his main form of elective reading during the week (whatever works!), and he was ecstatic to pick up a few new comic books. The owners were super generous, hooking Costa and Paolo up with some fun extra comics, too—a great shop to check out.
Major wins for Los Angeles this year at the James Beard Awards. So thrilled Ototo, one of our absolute favorite date night spots, won for their incredible sake program!
We recently discovered Kolfok Intra “The Wild” rosé from Lou Wine Shop in Los Feliz, and it’s already our wine of the summer. A deeper yet refreshing rosé. It has a wonderful, almost effervescent structure at first, and then a hit of earth before the “oh yeah!” good vibe finish. Not a gluggy, throw it back like water rosé that has become synonymous with Summer. Grab the 2021 vintage if you see it, otherwise the new vintage should be arriving very soon. Seek this wine out. Trust.