Tabbouleh With Marinated Artichokes And Baby Spinach Recipes

MARINATED BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an ice-water bath; add juice of 1 lemon. Trim stems of artichokes, leaving 1 inch intact. Remove tough outer leaves, and trim sharp tips of remaining leaves with scissors. Halve baby artichokes lengthwise, or quarter small artichokes; scoop out fuzzy chokes, and discard. Add prepared artichokes to lemon water as you work.
• Arrange artichokes in a nonreactive 12-by-16-inch baking dish. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 4 strips of zest from remaining lemon, and add to baking dish. Add garlic, olives, and 2 rosemary sprigs. Squeeze juice from zested lemon over artichokes. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover dish with parchment paper, then foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; stir, and cook until tender and browned in places, about 10 minutes. Serve the artichokes as is, or continue to step 3.
• Let artichokes cool completely. Transfer contents of baking dish to a sterilized, dry 1-quart jar; add remaining 2 rosemary sprigs. Add enough oil to cover artichokes. Place a round of waxed paper on surface. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

SPINACH TABBOULEH

Steps:

• Slice the onion. Chop the spinach and the walnuts.
• Cook the bulgar according to package directions.
• In a skillet, cook the onion in the olive oil until very brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
• In a serving bowl toss the cooked bulgar, onion with oil, spinach, and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

TABBOULEH WITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES AND BABY SPINACH

Steps:

• MAKE THE MARINATED ARTICHOKES: Cut the stems off the artichokes. Place the stems and artichokes in a steamer basket set over 1 inch of simmering water. Cover and steam over moderate heat until the artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, pull the leaves off the artichokes and trim off any fibrous outer skin. Using a spoon, scrape out the hairy chokes. Quarter the artichoke bottoms. Peel the artichoke stems and cut them into 1/2-inch rounds.
• In a small skillet, toast the cumin seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool. Grind the cumin seeds to a powder and transfer to a large, shallow dish. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Add the artichokes and coat well with the cumin marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
• MAKE THE TABBOULEH AND SPINACH: In a large heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur. Cover and let stand until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, about 40 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, scallions, parsley, plum tomato and mint; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chilled.
• In a bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with the spinach, feta and pine nuts. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the marinade from the artichokes over the salad and toss well; season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the tabbouleh onto plates and surround with the artichokes. Top with the spinach salad and serve.