Artichoke pesto is a spread made with artichoke hearts added to a basic pesto sauce. Artichokes are actually flowers, and the heart is the most prized part. Fresh artichoke hearts are steamed and chopped before being added to the pesto, which is thicker than regular pesto and used as a spread or condiment. Lemon juice or zest and roasted walnuts can be added for extra flavor.
Pesto is a type of sauce with basil, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic as the main ingredients. An artichoke is a dense, thistle-like flower cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Artichoke pesto is a combination of these two culinary delicacies. Artichoke hearts are added to the ingredients of a basic pesto sauce to create a versatile spread similar in texture to chutney.
Artichokes, while considered by many to be vegetables, are actually flowers. The artichoke is actually the closed bud of the flower and consists of thick, narrow green petals, each with a spine at the tip. The base of each petal has a small edible portion, but the true gem of an artichoke is the heart. The heart is the base to which all the petals are attached and has a rich, buttery taste. It is the artichoke heart used to prepare artichoke pesto.
The tastiest artichoke hearts to prepare this type of pesto are the fresh ones. In order to prepare a fresh artichoke heart for inclusion in a pesto, the petals must be removed from the artichoke until all that is left is the circular center, otherwise known as the heart. The heart has tiny hairs covering its center, which need to be removed. A stem is also attached to the heart and many people strip off the outer layer of the stem and use it in pesto as well.
If fresh artichoke hearts are used, they are typically steamed in preparation for the pesto. Artichoke hearts are also available canned and frozen. Many people use the canned or frozen varieties when making this pesto, thus avoiding the inconvenience of cleaning and cooking the artichoke hearts. Whatever type of artichoke hearts are used, they are usually chopped before being added to the pesto. Some chefs chop them very finely, while others prefer a more robust texture.
Regular pesto is usually thin and is mostly used as a sauce for pasta dishes. When artichoke is added to pesto, it becomes much thicker. As a result, artichoke pesto is not typically used as a pasta sauce. Rather, it’s used as a spread and can be served as a bruschetta on crackers, toast, or bread. It can also be used as a condiment to flavor other foods, such as shrimp or pork chops.
While the main ingredients for artichoke pesto are the same as the basic pesto, with the addition of the artichoke hearts, some people like to add a little lemon juice or lemon zest to the mix. Many believe that lemon accentuates the flavor of the artichoke by giving artichoke pesto a light citrus aroma. Also, while pine nuts make up a primary ingredient in basic pesto, some chefs find that the roasted walnuts complement the flavor of artichoke pesto better than pine nuts. There are many variations and uses of artichoke pesto, and which one is best comes down to a matter of individual taste.
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