Sautéed artichoke hearts with Spanish ham

Alcachofas con jamón

It may not be immediately obvious how to prepare an artichoke by looking at it, but it’s truly as easy as dealing with any other vegetable.

SERVES 4

4 artichokes

1 heaped teaspoon rock salt

olive oil, for frying

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour

4 slices Spanish ham (jamón), diced

Prepare the artichokes as in the note below and put into a saucepan. Add enough water to cover them and the rock salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, and boil for 15 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre of one of the artichoke hearts; if it pierces easily, turn off the heat. If not, cook for another 5 minutes and check again. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside to cool slightly.

Put a dash of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and gently cook for 1–2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the flour and stir, making a roux, for 2–3 minutes. Add a ladle of the cooking liquid from the artichokes and stir to eliminate any lumps; the sauce should be the consistency of runny cream so if it is too thick, add a little more cooking liquid.

Reduce the heat to low, add the artichokes and ham, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve immediately.

Note

To prepare an artichoke for cooking, have a large bowl of cold water at the ready, with either the juice of a lemon or a large handful of crushed parsley leaves added, which helps to stop the cut artichoke hearts from oxidising and turning brown.

Cut off the stem of each artichoke at the base and pull off the first few layers of hard leaves until you reach the lighter-green, softer interior leaves.

Cut the top off the artichoke about halfway down the globe and discard. Immediately put the prepared artichoke into the water bath.