Oysters Rockefeller
Sometimes, Artichoke Hart sees something in a kitchen store, flea market, or vendor market that piques his interest; a new utensil, cooking tool, or a serving platter that would allow for a unique presentation. Often, it would inspire a snack or a meal, like this pottery piece he found at an outdoor vendor market. It…
Read MorePerogies in Wine and Tomato Sauce
In a past life, I lived with someone of Eastern European heritage. The family loved traditional foods such as Cabbage Rolls, Halushki, and of course, Perogies. But if you didn’t serve the latter with butter, onions, bacon and sour cream, it was sacrilege. Upon leaving that household, I decided that the delicious little dumplings deserved…
Read MoreCrusted Monkfish
When Artichoke Hart went into Young Oppenheimer’s Grocery Store, (New York Fried, Sunao Publishing) he was surprised to see the wide array of fish available. For such a town so close to water (Lake Ontario), it still seemed odd to find fish that were common to the Atlantic. This monkfish was sitting on ice and…
Read MoreSausage in Red Wine
Once again, Artichoke Hart found himself with an excess of non-drinkable red wine. And so, searching for recipes that utilized other excess-purchased products–like sausage–he came across this simple dish that was perfect for a late afternoon barbeque on the terrace at the Complex in Oswego. (New York Fried, Sunao Publishing). Though simple, if patient with…
Read MoreDrunken Pasta
I can’t think of a better dish during self-isolation (Covid-19). With all that extra wine sitting around, and not wanting to drink all day, I came up with a plan for dinner: drunken pasta. Now, despite using 2 cups of wine, don’t be alarmed. You won’t get drunk off this dish. It is, however, decadent,…
Read MoreOrange Chicken
During the COVID crisis, takeout became the main source of income for the Artichoke Hart restaurant in Baltimore (other than Hart’s CIA income, of course). Simple dishes were both popular, easy and quick to make, and were low cost: perfect for the situation where gourmet-style dishes were required but needed to be simple enough to…
Read MoreCherry Tomato Pasta
Even though we’re all supposed to stay home during the COVID crisis, a quick drive out to the country seemed feasible when the sun first came out. I found a responsible farm not far from home that was selling their produce, plants and flowers. I picked up some flowers to freshen up the dining room…
Read MoreComfort Italian in time of Crisis
Sausage and Grapes with Mashed This is my first post since the COVID-19 crisis began and we’re all inundated with news and opinion. So this is a comfort dish from–of all places–Italy, where they know how to create great flavour blends from the most unlikely combinations. I’ve posted the recipe before but during these difficult…
Read MoreBalsamic Chicken with Figs and Onion with Mashed Cauliflower
One thing Young Oppenheimer had in ready supply at his Oswego Grocery Consortium was figs… lots of fresh figs. (New York Fried, Copyright 2019 Sunao Publishing). As a result, Artichoke Hart created several dishes using the sweet fruit. One hit was this one, especially when combined with cauliflower mashed. Cauliflower being the “hot” ingredient at…
Read MoreRubbed Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout is a popular fish in Northern New York State area, including Oswego, where New York Fried (copyright 2019) takes place. Chef Artichoke Hart needed simplicity but elegance and this dish did the job. It has a similar taste and texture to Salmon but is not as dominant. This allows the rub flavouring to…
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