Deconstruction of an Artichoke and Fancy Tapas

I have become a little obsessed with all things artichoke, though I am still puzzling as to how to get the heart out of a fresh artichoke. I've done this twice now...



First, steam the artichoke.



Second, peel off each leaf one by one, slowly and delectably dipping in oil and balsamic and scraping each little bit of meat into my mouth. This is fun, and calorie burning...

Third, peeling and scraping faster and more anxiously, wondering when I will get to the heart...



Fourth, anti-climax! No heart, just Nothingness! That's great for my Daoism paper, but not for my tummy! :(

Where did it go?

* ~ *

For a second course, we made a tapas-inspired spread...


Baby beets done Jamie Oliver style... absolutely divine. Baked with tons of garlic, some marjoram, balsamic and oil in a tinfoil bag. Balsamic caramelizes and steams the beets at the same time.



Tapas style summer ratatouille, my own creation, inspired by the 222 Lyon Tapas Bar, the only authentic traditional Spanish tapas in Ottawa. Served with French bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic. I made all this with my Dad, it has become the thing we do for fun when I visit - make extravagant meals in his well-stocked kitchen.

Tapas Style Summer Ratatouille

This is such a nice alternative to a stewed tomato wintery ratatouille because the emphasis is on the natural, fresh flavours of market vegetables to speak (or sing rather!) for themselves without being leached into a sauce.

Ingredients:
- Asian eggplant (the small ones. I've given up Italian eggplant - it is so full of bitter juices, it's not worth the trouble.
- zucchini
- fennel (a nice alternative to onion)
- fresh, flavourful tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic (don't overpower the fresh taste)
- a mix of fresh Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, basil)

Directions:
- Dice all the vegetables in tiny cubes, with the eggplant cubes twice as big as the zucchini to anticipate shrinkage when cooking, equal total quantity of zucchini, eggplant and tomato, about half that of fennel.
- Sautee in olive oil in the following order: fennel and garlic, eggplant till it wilts and is soaking oil well (be careful not to feed it too much oil, it will drink whatever you give it), zucchini (same, but much quicker than eggplant).
- Season at each stage with minced fresh herbs, salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Turn off heat and toss in tomatoes and cook in residual heat.

It is important not to overcook the vegetables. The beauty of this dish is the fresh, whole and vibrant vegetable cubes.

Serve with French bread, or for a meal, serve over rice, couscous, pasta, or orzo. You'll be amazed at the incredible flavours.

With our tapas, we drank a bottle of my new favourite wine, Hidden Bench Estate Chardonnay (2006):



My Snooth review:

Hidden Bench Vineyards & Winery Estate Chardonnay 2006 (SnoothRank: 3.5/5)
Canada > Ontario (August 2009)
Beautiful chardonnay from Niagara. Begins with a controlled fruity oak, and in a dramatic flourish, turns to a long buttery caramel finish. myRating 5/5

P.S. The Snooth rank is 3.5 only because there is only one review, for which I gave it a 5/5!