Turn Mediocre Canned Artichokes Into a Versatile Vegan Spread
One of my favorites, Panic Meals, includes all the sad stuff I have in the fridge, purposefully fried until crispy and seasoned with something greasy . It’s a great way to spice up vegetables that are long gone, and an excuse to eat chips and gravy for dinner, which is always a plus.
I recently came across a substance that rekindled my interest in this culinary genre: a small can of imported Italian artichoke spread I bought for a picnic when the air was safe to breathe. As far as I can tell, these are pureed artichokes tied together with sunflower oil and seasoned with a little salt. It’s incredible. It is dairy-free, but very creamy and has a concentrated pure artichoke flavor – like the best spinach artichoke sauce you have ever tasted, all artichokes and no fillers. Naturally, I had to figure out how to do it.
I am very happy to report that this is as easy as I thought. All you need is a blender (or blender), a frying pan, a few pantry ingredients, and literally 10 minutes. For even possible results, use a powerful blender and canned bottom artichoke – They are not as Stringy as hearts, and therefore need less to convince the purée. With that said, the batch shown in the photo above was made with hearts and a blender; it turned out great.
To make about one cup of delicious artichoke paste you will need:
- 1 / 4-1 / 2 cup aromatic oil of your choice (I used a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and toasted walnut oil)
- 1 can of 15 ounces in hearts or artichoke bottoms in brine, drained
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or other acidic ingredient
- 1/2 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard (optional)
- Salt to taste
Canned artichokes are often disappointingly tasteless, so you’ll have to beat them up a bit. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat. When it’s nice and hot, add dried artichokes and garlic cloves. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are caramelized around the edges.
Scrape the contents of the pan into a blender or any other container you would normally use with your blender. Pour lemon juice or vinegar into an empty skillet, scrape off any brown stuck to it and add to a blender. Add mustard, if applicable, and blend until a slightly lumpy greyish-yellow paste is obtained. (Sorry, I promise it will get better!)
With the engine running, drizzle 1/4 cup of oil and beat until smooth. If it feels too thick, gradually add another 1/4 cup butter and puree until you get the consistency you want. Season to taste with salt and serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
While this is fantastic as part of a vegan appetizer platter, don’t let the sauce format dip in you. It is mainly vegan artichoke mayonnaise, which makes it incredibly versatile; wherever you reach for a veggie vegetable, try one of these instead. My personal favorite is to try the double artichoke spinach sauce, using this spread as a mayonnaise base. (Though I can’t promise I won’t add cheese.)