Yield: 4 servings
Sweet baby neck clams partner with buttery artichokes, white wine, spicy chorizo sausage and salty olives to bring a bowl of comfort food to life. Don’t forget a big chunk of warm crusty bread to soak up the puddle of sweet sauce!
Ingredients:
- 5 Fresh whole artichokes cleaned (See below)
- 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) salt
- 1 medium Spanish onion
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) minced garlic
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cured chorizo sausage
- 24 whole and alive baby neck clams
- ½ cup (125ml) clear clam juice
- ½ cup (125ml) white wine
- ¼ cup (60ml) sundried black olives pit removed
- 10 baby tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) minced fresh parsley
Method:
Artichokes brown quickly so have a bowl filled with cold water and juice of 2 lemons ready for them to soak after they have been cut.
Remove the outer leaves of the artichoke until your reach the tender yellow bud in the center. Cut in half and scoop out the hay with a spoon or melon baller. Place immediately in the bowl of lemon water.
Continue with remaining artichokes.
Place a large pot water over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the salt and the artichokes to cook for about 3 minutes or until al dente (to the tooth). Remove and place in ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Slice the onion into 1/8 inch (.31cm) thickness. Cut the chorizo into 1/8 inch (.31cm) thickness.
Cut the tomatoes in half.
Place a large skillet medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent and aromatic. Add the clams and chorizo and stir. Deglaze with the clam juice and white wine. Add the artichokes. Cover the pan and cook just until clams open – about 5 minutes. Discard any un-opened shells. Remove from the heat and top the dish with olives and tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty warm bread.
How to clean an artichoke
Wash artichoke.
Using a large knife cut off the top 1 ½ – 2 inches (3.81-5.08cm) of the artichoke – this is where leaves are most tightly bunched.
Remove all the leaves starting with the outermost leaves first. Use scissors or a sharp paring knife.
Once the leaves have been removed, the inner most pale leaves will be exposed.
Use a paring knife to remove the hard leaf remnants around the base.
Use a vegetable peeler to trim the woody outer layer of the stem.
Cut ½ inch (1.2cm) from the bottom of the stem.
Cut the choke in half lengthwise.
Remove the purple leaves and hairy hay covering the choke.
Artichoke is ready to be sliced cooked according to recipe.
Place immediately in acidulated water to prevent browning.
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