Alcachofas a la Plancha

A little dish with a big flavour.

The priority motive was to make a quick Tapas dish for lunch using Artichokes (Alcachofas). The secondary motive was to use up some vegetables which were on the turn or were likely to be neglected in the coming days. My third concern was a longing for tomatoes that I could drip some crusty bread into.

OK… so it started well (oh, but finished well too, so don’t worry.)

Into a pan, a tub of artichokes from the deli counter at the supermarket. Add a litlle olive oil if there isn’t enough in the tub. Fry until they begin to brown a little, then hurl in some finely chopped garlic, an onion, and a bell pepper. A pinch of freshly ground pepper. And a teaspoon of Smoked Paprika. I also had a sad Aubergine which I finely diced.

When the artichokes are coated and the garlic/onion/peppers are soft, in goes a tin of chopped tomatoes, and some tomato puree. Allow to reduce to an almost paste.

Serve with some chopped parsley and crusty bread

Perfect on a cold grey day.

RJ