The Giving Garden on the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall is a little bit of Singh Farms relocated to the City of Scottsdale. The year-round project provides locally grown produce for the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and to the Vista del Camino community center. Visit the garden during the festival to see spring veggies at their peak. We think of artichokes as a spring vegetable because that is when they first appear on the market, but they are also bountiful at the end of the summer. Local artichokes may be a bit difficult to find so keep your eye out for them at farmers’ markets, and think about planting one of the handsome, perennial grey-green plants in a corner of your garden. The following recipe is adapted from Malarkey’s “smalls” menu at Searsucker and celebrates the artichoke in rich, spicy style.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked artichoke hearts (approximately 4 large or 16 small fresh artichokes, prepped and cooked, or 1 pound frozen baby artichokes prepared according to package directions)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon blackening (Cajun) spice
- 1/3 cup finely shredded Gruyere
- 1/3 cup finely shredded Mozzarella
- 1 clove roasted garlic
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 5 roasted Roma tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 cherry tomatoes, roasted
- A handful of mixed shredded Parmesan, Swiss and Mozzarella cheeses
Instructions
Prep artichokes, roasted Roma and cherry tomatoes and roasted garlic as needed.
Coarsely chop half of the artichoke hearts (1 1/2 cups) in a food processor (just 1 or 2 quick pulses); set aside. Finely chop the remaining half of the artichokes in the food processor and add them to the coarsely chopped artichokes.
In a large bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, cream, mustard, lemon juice, Tabasco, spice and cheeses.
Roughly chop the remaining ingredients and stir them into the mixture. Fold in the artichoke hearts. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the mixture into a deep baking dish (cast iron is ideal) and bake at 450° until mixture is heated through and bubbling.
Top the bubbling mixture with the roasted cherry tomatoes and the shredded cheeses, and place it back into the oven until the cheese is slightly browned.
Serve with slices of toasted baguette.
