Another great way to use artichokes: Crispy artichoke hearts, pistachio pesto and buffalo mozzarella toast. I just used the hearts for this recipe, but the meat on the leaves are are delicious to dip in lemon / butter. I recently posted another artichoke recipe that has a lemony dill sauce, which would also be great.
Here’s how to make this one:
Crispy artichoke hearts, pistachio pesto and buffalo mozzarella toast
Ingredients
- artichokes (I made 4 so I had extra, but you can make 1 per toast, or use with leftover artichokes (you could also use store bought)
- 3 tbsp butter
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- Splash of white wine
- Bread of choice
- Buffalo mozzarella
The pesto:
- 3/4 cup basil leaves
- 3/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup parm cheese
- salt/pepper
- 1/4 cup pistachios
Instructions
- Use kitchen scissors to snip the tops off the tough leaves and use a peeler to shave the green part of the stems. Slice the end of the stem and the top of the choke. Steam for about 25 min or until tender. Test tenderness by pulling a leaf off and if it comes off easily, they’re ready. Remove from pot and remove the leaves (set aside for dipping into sauce later). Remove the hairy part around the heart.
- Once you have the hearts, Slice them into quarters.
- Add butter to a pan and let it get hot. Add hearts and cook on high heat until browned, about 3-5 min per side.
- Add in splash of white wine and let it cook down. Drizzle of a squeeze of lemon juice and remove from heat.
- In a food processor, combine the pesto ingredients. Blend until smooth. Adjust to taste.
- Coat bread in olive oil and cook for 2-3 min per side. Break mozzarella into chunks. Spread pesto on toast and add sliced artichokes hearts and mozzarella. Top with another squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!
