[1] Celebrate with an artichoke baked potato (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill; recipe at right).

[2] The flower [not shown] grows in the center top of the globe, which grows atop a long stem (photo courtesy Frieda’s Produce).

[3] It looks like celery, but these are cardoons, the ancestor of the artichoke (photo courtesy Turmeric Saffron).

March 16th is National Artichoke Heart Day, an occasion to mix up our favorite luxurious yet low-calorie dishes, we named “Luxury Salad.”

It combines artichokes with hearts of palm, roasted red pepper (pimento), red onion and black olives in a white wine vinaigrette. Here’s the recipe.

But we’re all about options, and we’re making a stuffed baked potato from some of the artichoke hearts.

We were inspired by this photo from Bonefish Grill. The elaborate recipe topped with an artichoke heart seems an elegant way to celebrate National Artichoke Hearts Day.

The potato is stuffed with some sautéed spinach, then crowned with a poached egg and the artichoke heart.
 
 
RECIPE: ARTICHOKE STUFFED POTATO

Ingredients For One Serving

 
Preparation

1. BAKE the potato(es). When the potatoes are almost done…

2. Sauté the spinach and poach the egg(s). Warm the artichoke heart(s) in the microwave.

3. SLICE the top off the potato(s) to provide an even platform. Scoop out a bit of the potato to create a shallow well for the spinach.

4. FILL the well with the spinach, top with the poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Crown with the artichoke heart, sliced in half as necessary. Garnish with the tarragon.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF ARTICHOKES

The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) first grew wild in the Mediterranean. It is a member of the thistle family of flowering plants.

The wild version of the artichoke, which still grows wild and is also cultivated, is the cardoon (photo #3). While it doesn’t look like the globe artichoke that has become part of the modern diet, it tastes very similar.

The artichoke is first found in print as a garden plant in the 8th century B.C.E., by Homer and others. Centuries later, Pliny the Elder mentioned the growing of “carduus” in Carthage (North Africa, where it is still found in its wild state) and Cordoba (Spain).

Further cultivation took place in the medieval period, and subsequently in Italy and France in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Different varieties of artichokes were bred and cultivated, some as small as a hen’s egg, others larger than a first.

Typically, the leaves are eaten; but the prize is the “heart” under the choke, the inedible thistly part on top of it. We enjoy eating the stems. If they are on the artichokes you buy, don’t throw them away!

Like asparagus, the bottom portion may need to be peeled. But the stem has the flavor of the artichoke heart. Try it, you’ll like it.

The ancestor of our word “artichoke” comes from Arab-occupied Spain. An Arabic word for the plant, al-karsufa, turned into the Spanish alcarchofa.

When the plant reached Italy, it became articiocco, pronounced arti-choke-oh. Arti– was a version of “arch,” meaning high; and ciocco was the local word for “stump.” (The word evolved to the modern Italian, carciofo.)

Dutch traders introduced “arti-choke-ohs” to England, where the name was anglicized to artichoke. In 1530, artichokes were noted growing in Henry VIII’s garden at Newhall.

Artichokes crossed the pond in 19th century, brought to Louisiana by French immigrants. Spanish immigrants brought them to California.

Artichokes are now popular in American cuisine: baked, braised, fried, marinated, steamed; and in preparations from antipastos to dips to relishes/salsas, salads, soups and stuffings.

Even if you don’t eat cabbage regularly, you may be having some corned beef and cabbage tomorrow, St. Patrick’s Day.

If you think there’s nothing new in cabbage, check out the new cabbage in town. Originally grown in Spain as Sweetheart or Sweet Heart cabbage, it is now grown in California branded as Kool cabbage.

It is delicious pointed cabbage, another name by which it is known. Still other names include duchy cabbage, hearted cabbage and hispi.

A conical-shaped member of the cabbage family, the leaves are more open (less tight) than those of a conventional green cabbage, with a softer texture and sweeter taste. It also requires less time to cook.

Note that while a pointed cabbage is, in fact, cool, kool is the Dutch word for cabbage. It gave its name to koolsla, which in the U.S. became cole slaw (kool = cabbage, sla = salad).
 
COOKING POINTED CABBAGE

Kool/pointed cabbage is best enjoyed cooked, as opposed to raw in slaws and salads.

 
It’s easy to overcook cabbage and bring out those odoriferous sulfur compounds.

The company provides lots of recipes for how to use the sugars. Here’s their suggestion for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes. Get out your muffin tins!

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE MINT CUPCAKES

Ingredients For 18 Cupcakes

For The Cupcakes

 
*Mild virgin olive oil, sunflower or grapeseed oil can be substituted.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Prepare the muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners.

2. COMBINE the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl, whisking well. Set aside.

3. MIX the butter and sugars until in a large bowl with an electric or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. ADD the melted and cooled cocoa mixture, mixing well until fully combined. Add the oil and extracts and mix again, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

5. ADD the sour cream and then the flour mixture and mix slowly until just combined. Add the milk and mix for another 20 seconds. Fold in 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips.

6. FILL the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when lightly pressed. Let them cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

8. ADD the vanilla extract and food coloring, starting with small amounts until you reach the desired flavor and color. It will darken more as it sits.

9. FROST the tops of each cupcake using either a spatula or a frosting bag fitted with an open star tip, and sprinkle the remaining mini chocolate chips on top. Serve at room temperature.
  

Even adults can have fun with this apple leprechaun. It was created by Jill of Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons. Yes, the kids help.

RECIPE: LEPRECHAUN FRUIT SNACK

Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation

1. CUT the front off of the apple and cut out a hat from that slice. Attach it on the top using half of a toothpick. Save the apple scraps to cut out a nose.

2. CUT a slice of strawberry to make the mouth. Press on the edible eyes; they will stick. (Everything should stick, but you can also use peanut butter to secure the pieces.)

3. CUT the clementine slices in half to make the beard. Break toothpicks in half to secure them, if needed.

4. PRESS the heart sprinkles on the hat to make a shamrock.

Here’s the full article.
 
WHAT’S A LEPRECHAUN?

The leprechauns of Irish folklore are not sweet and loving pixies. These fairies are full of mischief!

Leprechauns are usually depicted as a little old man wearing breeches, a coat and hat. When not up to practical jokes, they are solitary creatures who spend their time making and mending shoes.

And of course, they have a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

If he is captured by a human, a leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for their freedom.

As for female leprechauns: No one has ever seen one!
  

A quick look at TasteOfHome.com revealed 30 recipes with beer, including beer battered fish, bread, dip, braised ribs, cheese soup, chili, glazed steaks, green beans, fondue, mac and cheese, mustard, potato wedges, pot roast, roast chicken and beef stew. Whew!

Our suggestion is for a breakfast treat, Irish soda muffins and jam, both made with Irish Red ale.

Boston beer king Samuel Adams asked two local artisan food producers, both members of their Brewing the American Dream Program, to make St. Patrick’s Day recipes with its beer. The result is yummy. We could start every day with the Irish soda muffins!

If today is a good baking day for you, whip up a batch of muffins. Enjoy some warm out of the oven, and stick the rest in the freezer for St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

The muffin recipe is by Sandy Russo of LuLu’s Sweet Shoppe in Boston’s North End. They taste just like Irish soda bread, but with the denser texture of muffins.
 
 
RECIPE #1: IRISH SODA MUFFINS

Ingredients

[2] How about some honey-beer jam for your muffins? The recipe is below (photo © Ergita Sela | Unsplash).

*Look for barley malt powder, also called diastatic malt powder or barley flour, at health food or brewing supplies shops; or buy it online. It keeps well in the freezer in a tightly sealed container, and can be used to make bagels and other bread doughs.

†If you can’t find Irish Red, substitute Boston Lager.
________________
 
Preparation

1. POSITION the rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick coating and line with paper liners.

2. CREAM together in a large bowl the butter, sugar and barley malt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.

3. MIX in the flour, salt and baking powder with the paddle attachment on low speed, just until incorporated. Add the beer until incorporated. Next add the sour cream, caraway seeds and raisins. Scrape down the sides of bowl and beat until smooth, about 25 seconds.

4. SCOOP into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops lightly with sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when lightly tapped.
 

This recipe is from Allen Chrisholm of Al’s Backwoods Berrie Co. in Plymouth, Massachusetts. For a festive touch, add four drops of green food coloring to create a green jam—perfect for spreading on Irish soda bread muffins on St. Patrick’s Day!

This is essential a beer/ale jam, sweetened with honey. It makes enough to give as gifts.

Ingredients For 7 Eight-Ounce Jars

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the beer in a saucepan along with the honey and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the pectin very slowly. Once the pectin is added, return the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, constantly stirring the mixture so it does not burn.

2. ADD the sugar very slowly and bring the mixture back to a boil.

3. BOIL the jars and the lids in a separate pan so that when you fill them, they are as hot as the jam. Fill and seal the jars and turn them upside down for 3 to 5 minutes; then return them upright. Let cool.

Originally brewed in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1710, Irish red ales are known for their rich and smooth flavor plus balance, making them ideal for warmer days yet pleasant during the chilly ones.

Deep russet in color, Samuel Adams Irish Red is inspired by the red ales of Ireland (just about every brewer there makes it).

Full of hearty, roasty character and a backbone of malty sweetness, Samuel Adams Irish Red is “brewed to suit the cool rainy days,” according to the brewer.

Irish Reds are easy to drink: well-rounded, a bit sweet, with a lightly hopped tea-like flavor and a pleasant toasted malt character. If you have a source for imports, look for Killian’s, Murphy’s, Smithwick’s and other Irish brands. Perhaps you can celebrate the day with an Irish Red tasting!