The Return of the Artichokes {Marinated Artichoke & Feta Tart}

When last we spoke of my mass artichoke purchase, we had steamed them as is de rigueur. We had grilled them a la Molly's Dad (lightly steam, cut in half, rub with some olive oil and grill until lightly charred with grill marks; serve with mayo/aioli dipping sauce of your choice). We had Tuscan Stuffed them. After a couple turns of each of these ways, I still had about 10 'chokes left.  One of our friends on facebook suggested pickling them and provided a great recipe from Marissa McClellan, a food writer and canning teacher whose book Food In Jars was published in 2012. What better way to preserve those last few artichokes than to pickle and marinate them to be used after a short break in the artichoke extravaganza?

Marinated Artichoke Hearts (adapted from Food In Jars)

• 8-10 trimmed artichoke hearts; halved or quartered (make sure to remove all outer, tough, leathery leaves, farther than you might think, to get to the tender, pale sweet leaves) 
• 1/2 C  vinegar (of your choice - I used some white balsamic, and some white wine; next time, I would do 3/4 C vinegar and 1/4 C water to increase the acidity of the pickling solution as it wasn't quite tart enough for me)
• 1/2 C water
• 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (enough to top off your jars)
• 1 Tsp fine grain salt
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove (sliced or minced - the more surface area of the garlic, the more garlicky the seasoning will be, so you can adjust to your liking based on how much or how little you cut/slice/mince the garlic)
• 1/4 Tsp black peppercorns
• 1/4 Tsp red chili flake

1. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water and salt and bring to a boil. In the bottom of your mason jar, place the flavorings: garlic, peppercorns, chili flakes, and bay leaf. Then, pack the jars with the artichoke pieces. Be sure to leave some headroom so that there is enough room for the artichokes to be completely covered by the pickling solution and olive oil.  Pour hot pickling liquid over the artichoke hearts and tap gently to dislodge any air bubbles.
2. Top off the jar with olive oil until the artichoke hearts are covered. Place a lid on the jar and shake to help distribute oil. Leave jar(s) out on counter until they are completely cool. Once cool, refrigerate.
3. Let artichokes marinate for at least 24 hours before eating. Since these artichokes haven't been processed for shelving, they will keep for at least one week in the refrigerator.

Note: Next time I make these, I will lightly steam the artichoke hearts before packing into the jars as they were a bit too "green and raw" for my taste with just the cooking from the hot pickling solution.

These are quite tasty as is and would be a great addition to a salad or an antipasto tray. Or, as I did last night...

Marinated Artichoke and Feta Tart (adapted from Bon Appetit)

• 1/3 C cream
• 4 oz feta cheese, divided
• 1 17.3 oz pkg of frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
• 8 oz of marinated artichoke hearts (drained and halved); made from recipe above or purchased from grocery store
• Olive oil
• 1 lg egg, beaten to blend (see note below)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Blend cream and 2 oz of feta until smooth (I did this with my stick, immersion blender - you can use a food processor, if you have one and want to deal with that, or even just a hand mixer to reduce the amount of cleanup required.)
2. From your 17.3 ounce package of pastry, unfold each onto a piece of parchment paper, and lightly roll it out to smooth the fold marks. Place the parchment and pastry on top of a baking sheet. Using a sharp paring knife, make a frame/edge to your crust by lightly scoring the pastry about one inch in from all edges (make sure not to cut all the way through)
3. Spread the feta-cream sauce over the pastries (divide evenly between the two) and stay within the frame-like border. Arrange the artichoke pieces evenly over the feta sauce and crumble the remaining feta over the pastries evenly as well.; drizzle with olive oil and brush the border with the beaten egg wash to glaze the crust.
4. Bake at 425F for about 10 minutes or so; until the pastry is puffed and beginning to lightly brown. Reduce heat to 375F and continue to cook until the pastry is deep golden in color and the tarts are cooked completely through (about 20 minutes longer - keeping an eye that they don't get too dark)
5. Serve warm or room temp (they can be made up to 2 hours in advance and left to stand at room temp.)

Note: if you'd prefer not to use an egg for the wash since the entire egg will not be used and unless your scramble it up to eat, it will be wasted, you can use a cream wash on the crust. The results are as follows: 

• egg wash- super shiny, browned finish to baked goods
• cream or milk wash - no shine, browned crust
• butter wash - matte, soft finish - no crispness

This tart was out of this world fantastic and considering that puff pastry and marinated artichokes (or canned, even) should be freezer and pantry staples, this is a good standby recipe to whip up when you don't have anything planned. If your clan aren't artichoke eaters, you could sub in some caramelized onions as well.  Served with a standard green salad, this tart was a delicious, quick and rather "Fraunchy" meal.

Happy Cooking!

 sld

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