Braised Baby Artichokes

Recipe from The Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman

Baby artichokes
1 lemon (preferably Meyer)
zest from 1 lemon, in long thin strands (use vegetable peeler)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
olive oil
salt
pepper
fresh herbs (e.g. parsley), minced

Clean baby artichokes by removing the tough outer leafs until the inner yellow leaves are showing. Cut off tops, and then cut artichokes in half. Store cut artichokes in a bowl of water with a touch of something acidic, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to keep the cut parts of the artichokes from turning brown.

Heat some olive oil in a saute pan on high. Add lemon zest. Strain the artichokes and add to the pan when the oil is hot. Sear artichokes for 5 minutes, until they are browned in places.

Reduce heat to medium. Add minced garlic and most of your minced herbs (reserve some for topping the finished dish). After the garlic and herbs are fragrant (about 30 sections to 1 minute), add chicken stock, the juice of half the lemon, salt, and pepper. Scrape up any browned bits. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook until the artichokes are tender, about 10 minutes. When the artichokes are cooked through, remove the cover and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed or evaporated, and the artichokes are glazed. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice.

Garnish with the reserved minced herbs before serving. If desired, you can also garnish with additional lemon zest.

Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Note: if you need to add more liquid to the braising liquid, I recommend that you add water, since adding more chicken stock will probably overwhelm the artichoke flavor. Also, next time I make this, I would like to try using white wine instead of chicken stock