ARTICHOKE HEARTS GRATIN

Steps:

• Place artichoke heart halves on a paper towel cut-side down to drain for about 15 minutes.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with vegetable oil.
• Place artichoke heart halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side up. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Broil artichoke hearts until browned on top, about 7 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

ARTICHOKE HEARTS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly spray a shallow baking dish or glass pie plate with cooking spray.
• Arrange artichoke hearts in the bottom of dish. Drizzle 1/4 cup salad dressing over artichokes.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove, spread cheese over the top, and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup salad dressing. Return to oven, and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Turn off oven. Sprinkle fried onions over the top, and return to oven for 1 minute.

ARTICHOKE GRATINATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown at the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer the artichoke mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
• Melt the butter in the same skillet used to cook the artichokes. In a small bowl mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan and top the artichokes with the bread crumbs. Bake until the top is golden, about 10 minutes.

LASAGNETTES AU GRATIN WITH ARTICHOKES AND MARJORAM

Steps:

• Pour the flour, eggs, and salt in a mixer fitted with a dough hook, and mix until the mixture forms a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes in the mixer. The dough should form a ball and be climbing up the dough hook. Add in 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 a ladle of lukewarm water and mix until well combined. Remove the dough from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Roll out with a pasta machine.
• Squeeze the lemons into a bowl of cold water. Peel and clean the artichokes and plunge them in water and lemon so they don't brown. One by one, slice the artichokes very thinly (you can do this on a mandoline if you prefer), returning to the ice water as you finish. Julienne the strips and return to the acidulated water.
• Brown the garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Drain the artichokes and add them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on high heat for 8 minutes, then pour in the fresh cream and reduce it all for about 10 minutes. Perfume with fresh marjoram.
• Wash the tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge them in ice water. Peel them, seed them, and dice them. (Set aside a few tablespoons of diced tomato for garnish.) Get 2 sheets of egg pasta, boil them in salt water, let them cool and cut them with the help of a circular pasta cutter until you have 24 little disks. In an oiled cake pan arrange 4 individual pasta disks and put the artichokes, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and tomatoes on top. Repeat the procedure 5 times, making 6 layers.
• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Bake for 8 minutes. Arrange portions of the lasagna in the center of 4 plates and garnish with diced tomatoes, marjoram leaves and drizzle everything with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve hot.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub Jerusalem artichokes, and slice 1/4 inch thick. Bring milk and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add slices, and cook until tender but crisp, 8 minutes. Drain, and arrange in a buttered baking dish.
• In a small saucepan, bring cream, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper to a boil. Remove garlic, and pour mixture evenly over artichokes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in upper level of oven until bubbling and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

ARTICHOKE GRATIN - GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown at the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer the artichoke mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
• Melt the butter in the same skillet used to cook the artichokes. In a small bowl mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan and top the artichokes with the bread crumbs. Bake until the top is golden, about 10 minutes.

ARTICHOKE HEARTS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Cut artichoke hearts into thin slices.
• Saute artichokes and garlic in butter until tender.
• Remove artichoke hearts to a shallow baking dish.
• Stir seasonings and flour into remaining butter.
• Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.
• Cook over low heat until thickened.
• Remove from heat.
• Slowly add liquid to egg and 1/4 cup of the cheese.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour sauce over artichoke hearts and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese, crumbs and paprika.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

ARTICHOKE-PROSCIUTTO GRATIN

Steps:

• Pat quartered artichoke hearts dry with paper towels. Cut each prosciutto slice crosswise in half. Wrap each artichoke heart quarter in halved prosciutto slice. Place wrapped artichoke hearts in single layer in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour cream over. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola, pine nuts, Parmesan, and sage. Bake until gratin is bubbling and sauce thickens, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES OR SUN CHOKES AU GRATIN (TOPINAMBOURS AU GRATIN)

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Using a small regular or swivel-bladed paring knife, peel the artichokes. If the artichokes are very large, cut them in half. Ideally, the artichokes or pieces of artichoke should be of uniform size or the size of the smallest whole artichoke.
• Put the artichokes in a saucepan. Add cold water to cover and salt to taste. Bring to the boil. Let simmer about 10 to 15 minutes or until tender but still a little crisp. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, melt three tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Add the milk, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Cut the hot artichokes into not-too-small bite-size cubes or wedges. There should be about two cups.
• Heat one tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook until wilted. Add the artichoke pieces, cream and cayenne. Bring to a boil and add the white sauce. Blend well. Bring to a simmer. Add three-quarters cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted. Add the egg yolk and let simmer about 15 seconds.
• Pour and scrape the mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Place under the broiler and let stand until bubbling and nicely glazed on top.

ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Snap off most tough outer leaves from artichokes. Trim 1 1/2 inches from top. In pot of water, place artichokes, 1 1/2 lemons, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover with smaller-size lid to keep artichokes submerged. Cook over medium heat until hearts are tender when pierced with knife, about 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. When artichokes are tender, drain, remove remaining leaves, and discard all but the smallest, most tender ones. Set those aside. Remove choke completely with melon baller or spoon, and rub artichoke bottoms with remaining lemon half. In a glass pie pan or gratin dish, strew leaves and mix in half of bechamel. Lightly butter artichoke bottoms, season with salt and pepper, and place on top of bechamel. Place folded piece of prosciutto in each bottom; fill with a rounded mound of bechamel.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Rub the tops with butter, and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve one or two bottoms per person along with some of the leaves.