Spring! - Artichokes! - Quiche!

Like Castroville, California (the artichoke capital of the world), Castro Valley's zone 8b offers a near perfect micro-climate in which to grow artichokes.  The plants thrive in the cool coastal fog and warm, sun drenched days that frequent the valley.  So much so, that when I allow my artichokes to go to seed, they end up spontaneously germinating everywhere in my garden.  I'm constantly pulling up "volunteer" baby artichoke plants as if they were weeds. 

Growing artichokes in Castro Valley for nearly a decade  has taught me few things.  Despite what some may say, it's very easy to grow them from seed and once established, they require little care.  In our climate, the plants go dormant in the winter, but return to bud anew in the spring.  This cycle happens with or without my devoted attention.  For a modest effort, I'm rewarded with softball sized artichokes year after year.

The plant pictured at top is a Globe variety from my garden.  Last night I picked it along with several other softball sized buds.  I prepared the buds simply, by steaming them for 25 minutes.  We had them for dinner, eating the creamy hearts and tender leaf portions with a garlicky homemade aioli.

While steaming is a time honored and delicious way to enjoy artichokes, I have 8 thriving plants in my garden and have counted at least four large buds forming on each plant.  This surplus stirred my culinary creativity.  Below, please find my recipe for a delicious baby artichoke quiche.  I would highly recommend this as a perfect for Mother's Day brunch.





Baby Artichoke Quiche

• 8 baby artichokes, cleaned and trimmed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
•  sea salt to taste
•  fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot
• 2 tablespoons fresh, fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces pecorino cheese, grated
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F 
2. Trim the artichokes and steam until tender or boil gently in a pot of generously salted water, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, refresh with cold water and quarter the artichokes. 
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 10-inch, heavy nonstick skillet, and add the artichokes. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about five to eight minutes. Add the garlic, shallots and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant. Stir in the flat leaf parsley, and season the vegetable mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
4. whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Distribute the two cheeses evenly over the bottom of the pie shell.  Layer the artichoke mixture over the cheese and pour the egg mixture over the top.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is set. Allow to set 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

          Serves 8