Sautéed Baby Artichokes with Fried Jamón
This dish is inspired by a sun-drenched trip to Spain where Chad and I explored the Sherry Triangle with some dear friends for two weeks. It remains one of my favorite vacations ever. A day trip took us to the sweeping town of Ronda and to a delicious lunch of baby artichokes and fried jamón, which I downed with many glasses of fino—a trio of my very favorite things. Baby artichokes are hard to find on the East Coast (they are also much less fussy to prep, which is always a plus in my book), so when I see them in stores I snatch them up to make this dish and pretend that I am back in Spain. Crusty bread for dipping in the leftover pools of olive oil is never a bad idea.
SERVES: 4
TIME: 30 minutes
METHOD
Fill a medium mixing bowl with cold water and the juice of half the lemon. With a paring knife, trim the stem of the artichoke and cut off the top third of its leaves. Then snap the remaining dark green leaves until you’re left only with the pale, green tender ones. Slice the artichoke in half lengthwise and add to the acidulated water, which will help keep it from turning brown. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Drain the artichokes and blanch them in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, set aside, and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a 12- inch (30.5 cm) skillet over medium heat. When it shimmers add the jamón and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to crisp and brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel–lined plate.
Add the artichokes to the skillet and stir to coat them in the pork-cured oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 more minutes until they are tender and slightly golden. Stir in the crisped jamón. Season with kosher salt to taste. Transfer the artichokes to a medium bowl or small platter and, using the remaining half lemon, add a squeeze of lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with flaky salt as needed. Drizzle with some good-quality olive oil if you like. (You would like!)
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