Artichoke Paste

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Artichoke Paste
Categories: Ornish, Appetizers, Vegan
Yield: 1 Cup

4 Giant artichokes (to 5)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 lg Pieces of lemon peel
2 tb Finely diced onion or
-shallots
2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Bay leaf
3 Sprigs of thyme, or a couple
-of pinches dried
1 sm Branch of tarragon or
1/4 teaspoon dried
4 Sprigs of parsley
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice or
-tarragon vinegar to taste
Chopped chervil or tarragon
-for garnish

Trim the artichokes down to their hearts (they can be quartered) ad set
them in a bowl of water acidulated with the lemon juice as you work. Use a
pan large enough to hold all the artichokes in a single layer. Add water
just to cover and add the lemon peel, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme,
tarragon, and parsley. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer,
adding small amounts of water as needed, until the artichokes are tender
and just a few tablespoons of liquid remain.

Remove the bay leaf, lemon, parsley, and thyme branches. Transfer the
artichokes to a food paocessor and puree, adding the remaining pan juices
as needed to thin the mixture. If any fibers from the artichokes remain,
pass the puree through a food mill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add a little lemon juice or vinegar to sharpen the flavors (again, do this
to taste - the puree may already be fine as it is). Heap into a bowl and
garnish with the chopped chervil or tarragon.

*Note* Artichokes make a subtle and delicate spread to serve with
crackers. The time to make this is whenthe large spring artichokes from
California are available and inexpensive. If it's available, garnish the
spread with chopped chervil or tarragon.

Serving size: 1/4 cup
54 calories
0.3 gram fat 0 mg. cholesterol 175 mg. sodium without added salt

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