Am I not pretty enough?

Last week for Weekend Herb Blogging, I wrote about the lovely Jerusalem artichoke. For this week, I turn to feature the more familiar globe artichoke.

Now, a closer look. Pretty, isn’t it?

My first encounter with globe artichokes is not in fresh form but in a quite popular herbal tea in Vietnam. Artichoke tea is quite lovely with a light sweet note and said to have cooling properties (You can find it in Asian stores, I think). However, I just started cooking with fresh artichokes recently when coming to Australia, and I really love it.

Today, I am gonna use these pretty buds in a paella dish. I know the rice may look messy, but it is one of the tastiest dishes I have ever cooked. Here, home-made chicken stock is a must to ensure the rich flavours. You also need to get Spanish paella rice, too. This rice is quite different from risotto rice and when you cook it, please do not stir! Just let it simmer and sit for the best creamy result.

Serve with some lemon juice and perhaps a green salad, it is a perfect meal for anytime…

Paella with Chicken and Artichokes

Adapted from this book

Ingredients (serve 4 as main course and 6 as a starter)

6 tbsp olive oil

350g skinless chicken (I use thigh meat)

2 large Spanish onions, finely chopped

3 large globe artichokes

6 garlic cloves

250g paella rice

150g dry sherry

800ml hot homemade chicken stock

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley

4 grates of nutmeg

Lemon wedges, to serve

Sea salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat a large non-stick pan and add 2 tbsp olive oil. When hot, stir-fry chicken for 2 mins or until the chicken is still a bit rate in the middle. Remove the chicken and put aside. Add the rest of the oil and add the onion. Cook over medium heat for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the artichoke. Cut the stalks off 5cm from the base. Carefully peel of the green tough layer and what is yellow is tender. Cut the tips off these and peel the base. Scrape out any furry choke with a teaspoon and cut each prepared artichokes lengthways then cut in to 8 wedges. (You can view the picture guide here, just do not boil the artichoke). Keep the artichoke in some water with lemon juice to prevent discoloring.
3. Add artichokes to the softening onion along with garlic and cook for another 10 mins or until the onions and garlic start to caramelize. Stir in the rice and coat with oil and veg for 1 min.
4. Turn heat to high, add the wine. Cook off some alcohol then add the hot stock. Bring to gentle boil. Season well and add half of the chopped parsley and the nutmeg. Simmer for 10 mins or until there is still enough stock to cover the rice. Spread the chicken evenly over the rice and push each piece under the juice. Gently shake the pan to prevent sticking. Turn heat to medium low. Cook for 5 mins or until there is just a little liquid left at the bottom of the rice.
5. Turn off the heat and cover tightly with foil. Let the rice sit for 5 mins before serving. Serve with fresh parsley and lemon wedges immediately.

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This week WHB is hosted by the brownie queen Myryam of Once upon a tart. Please go to her blog for the roundup. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out more info about WHB on Kalyn’s blog.