Artichokes with Brown Butter, Garlic and Parmesan
The earthy, nutty flavor of artichokes pairs perfectly with browned butter, which has a toasty aroma and a deeper flavor than plain melted butter. Use your fingers to carefully spread the artichoke leaves apart before you pour the butter on top so that plenty of the aromatic mixture is trapped between the leaves.
Ingredients
- 4 medium artichokes
- 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./185 ml) marsala
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) unsalted butter
- 2 anchovies, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
Directions
Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C).
Trim the artichokes and cut off the top quarter of each. Arrange the artichokes, stem side down, in a Dutch oven. Add the marsala, thyme sprigs and half of the minced garlic. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook until the butter has browned and smells nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining half of the minced garlic and the anchovies. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the butter mixture over the artichokes, spreading the artichoke leaves apart so the butter gets between them. Drizzle the artichokes evenly with the olive oil. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook until the bottoms of the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
Uncover the pot and sprinkle the Parmesan over the artichokes. Return the pot, uncovered, to the oven and continue cooking until the cheese is melted and beginning to bubble, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the artichokes to a platter and spoon the liquid from the pot over the artichokes. Serve with lemon wedges alongside. Serves 4.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
