Orlando Sentinel

Ease of canned artichokes

- By Alison Roman

Artichokes are, without a doubt, one of the more annoying vegetables to prepare and cook, and not to mention hyper-seasonal. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to enjoy them year-round and at a moment’s notice.

This is why I have come to not only accept but truly love canned artichokes. It’s my opinion that cooking with and enjoying a canned or frozen vegetable doesn’t mean a person respects their food or ingredient­s any less than someone cooking with the fresh version. They are different ingredient­s used at different times, and there is a time and a place for both.

Canned or jarred artichokes are widely available, and boy, do they hit the spot. I am partial to the whole, unmarinate­d baby variety because they come trimmed and cooked, their leaves soft and feathery with fork-tender hearts.

The only thing about these otherwise-perfect little artichokes is that, unlike the marinated ones, they come in a slightly tangy but not especially seasoned brine. (Most simply have a little salt and some citric acid to prevent oxidation.)

So they need a little bit of help in the flavor department, as even a fresh artichoke does, but I see that as an opportunit­y to cook them in a skillet full of chicken fat and white wine.

While the specific parts of chicken are up for negotiatio­n (I am partial to thighs), the bone-in, skinon part is not. You need the skin for its fat, which will render as the skin crisps, and which you can use to sear onions and those aforementi­oned artichoke hearts, and the bones, which add flavor and ensure against drying out.

 ?? MICHAEL GRAYDON AND NIKOLE HERRIOT/THE NEW YORK TIMES ?? Canned artichokes, which are widely available, are enhanced by crispy chicken thighs in a white wine sauce.
MICHAEL GRAYDON AND NIKOLE HERRIOT/THE NEW YORK TIMES Canned artichokes, which are widely available, are enhanced by crispy chicken thighs in a white wine sauce.

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