Its arrival also opens the door to bringing back recipes in which the artichoke stops being a simple side dish and becomes the true star. The Aragón Tourism gastronomy website itself brings together various preparations and suggests, among others, two very different ways of bringing it to the table.
OVEN-BAKED TERNASCO WITH ARTICHOKES AND WILD ASPARAGUS
The first proposal combines several ingredients closely associated with Aragonese cuisine. The recipe is designed for four people and requires a leg of ternasco, 300 grams of artichokes, two bunches of wild asparagus, onion, garlic, red peppers, ripe tomatoes, white wine, bay leaf, olive oil and salt.
Preparation begins by cutting the ternasco leg into pieces and seasoning it with salt before roasting it in the oven. Meanwhile, a sofrito is prepared with onion, garlic, tomato and bay leaf, which is then blended. The meat is subsequently added along with the artichokes and asparagus, a little white wine is poured in and everything is cooked for around 20 minutes. The result combines roast meat with vegetables in a recipe designed to make the most of the new artichoke season.
TOASTED RICE WITH ARTICHOKES
For those looking for a different alternative, the recipe collection also includes toasted rice with artichokes. The dish uses two types of rice, brown and wild, as well as leeks, onion, carrot, celery, olive oil, four small artichokes, saffron and salt. The quantities given are likewise calculated for four diners.
The recipe starts with a sauce made from onion and saffron. Separately, the carrot and celery are prepared and the rice is added and sautéed. The mixture is served in individual moulds, accompanied by the saffron sauce and finished with artichokes cooked with their stems, which thus become one of the main elements of the dish.
