Vegetables For Dinner

I tend to buy artichokes, and despite how much I love them, "forget" to cook them. I dread the preparation . . . snipping, tearing, peeling, scooping. And all that rubbing with lemon juice. But today I found a recipe so appealing (Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil) I dove right in. The artichokes are braised in a flavorful broth with shallots, garlic, carrots, fennel and coriander seeds, then lightly crisped in olive oil. The braising liquid adds to a savory olive oil and lemon dressing. You can braise the artichokes in advance to spread out the work and the dish can be served room temperature. No reason to shy away.

"These are the best cooked artichokes I've ever had," James declared.

Worth the effort.
As a follow up I roasted the remainder of last week's potato harvest with some fresh shallots from our garden dressed simply with olive oil, salt and pepper.
I love fresh peas. It's a little late in the season here in sunny LA but I could still round up enough for this fresh springy salad, with snap peas, pea shoots, radishes, and goat cheese in a light mustard vinaigrette. Beautiful and light.