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Artichauts Braises a la ProvencaleArtichokes Braised with Wine, Garlic, and Herbs
March 15, 2021 | Updated March 23, 2023 | Laura
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✽ Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I | Julia Child ✽
Julia Child Recipe 168 | 360 recipes to go!
✽ Artichokes Braised with Wine, Garlic, and Herbs [Artichauts Braisès à la Provençale], p. 426
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✽ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.
✽ You can buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I which contains these recipes here. (affiliate link)
The purpose of this Julia Child section of my blog is to document my journey of learning how to cook. To show my successes, my failures, and what I learned along the way.
Since I didn't create these recipes (if only!), I do not post exact amounts of ingredients or word-for-word instructions. If any of these recipes spark your interest, I highly recommend you buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link). It's a great investment and learning tool and contains hundreds of classic recipes.
What you will find on my blog is:
✽ Butter Count & Cost Total
✽ Recipe Rating
✽ Answers to Questions about Recipe
✽ Fun Facts about Recipe or an Ingredient Used
✽ The Recipe Process
✽ Step-by-Step and Final Photos of Recipe
I hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts, learn something new, and leave inspired to try a new recipe. Bon appétit!
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Butter Count & Cost: Braised Artichokes
✽ Butter Count: +0 TB
✽ Cost: $24.09 [~$3.44 per serving]
Check out the total Julia Child butter count & cost here!
→ Looking for a different Julia Child recipe? Here's a list of all of the completed and pending Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes!
Why does nobody around here eat whole artichokes?!
I'll be honest. I didn't even know that you could buy whole artichokes at the grocery store before I started this whole thing. Check out my first time making artichokes! It was actually the first recipe I made from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Anyways, eating them can be a little challenging. It may be a lot of work for little reward, but, oh man, are they good. Dipped in lemon butter or braised in wine and garlic, either way is fantastic.
Second, why are artichokes so expensive?! Is that why nobody is eating them because they are apparently food for the rich? At our local grocery store, each artichoke is almost $4! Looks like daily artichokes are not in our future until these student loans are paid off.
Julia Child's Artichokes Braised in Wine, Garlic, and Herbs: Rating
✽ Laura's Rating: 8
✽ Brian's Rating: 7
Like I previously said, these artichokes are not easy to eat. We chose to eat them with our hands instead of silverware. Basically, just scraping off the meat with our teeth.
The oil, wine, garlic, and onions were perfection. I wish I had made fresh bread to dip in all that goodness.
I ended up pulling out the middle leaves of the artichokes- the ones that could be consumed whole. I put them on top of a pizza with kalamata olives, bechamel sauce, cheese, onions, and jalapenos. So so good!
Artichauts Braises a la Provencale: Questions
✽ What should I serve with braised artichokes?
The cookbook suggests serving these cooked artichokes with roast or braised meat, or as an appetizer. I personally think that a good idea is to serve them with a loaf of fresh French bread so you can sop up all that deliciousness.
You can also add diced tomatoes, diced ham, and/or sauteed mushrooms into casserole dish to make it more filling. Or you can surround the artichokes with sauteed potatoes and baked tomatoes on a serving platter.
✽ How do you eat artichokes?
Artichokes are messy to eat! The cookbook recommends you provide your guests with a spoon, knife, and fork to eat them, but we used our hands. Just make sure you have the napkins ready!
You do not actually eat the whole leaves of artichokes. Pull off an outer leaf, dip it in a sauce, and scrape off the flesh between your teeth. Or, if using silverware, hold the tip of the leaf down with a knife and scrape off the flesh with a spoon.
If eating the artichokes whole, once you have scraped the flesh from all the leaves, you will be left with the artichoke heart. Make sure to scrape off the hairy center, and then the heart can be eaten whole.
✽ Why do you place cut artichokes in lemon juice?
By rubbing the cut portions of the artichoke with lemon juice, you are preventing the artichoke from browning. The acid in the lemon juice actually prevents the enzymatic reaction that causes the discoloration.
Looking for more Julia Child artichoke recipes to read about?
→ Check out all of the vegetable recipes that I've completed so far!
Fun Facts about Artichokes
*Find these facts plus lots more on Daily Harvest Express and Ocean Mist.*
✽ What is an artichoke?
An artichoke is an unbloomed flower. Yes, really! The 'choke' or those little hairs in the center of the artichoke would have been the flower if it had not been picked prior to blooming. The artichoke is part of the sunflower family.
✽ How many artichokes can one plant produce?
A single artichoke plant makes about 20 artichokes every year.
✽ How old are artichokes?
It is said that artichokes have been around for more than 3000 years dating back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans!
How to Make Artichokes Braised with Wine, Garlic, and Herbs
✽ Step 1: Prep & Boil Artichokes
The first task is preparing the artichokes. Snapping off the stem is satisfying as it just snaps off so crisply.
The recipe then instructs to make the artichoke 1 1/2 inches tall which isn't that big. It is actually extremely hard to cut through the dead center of an artichoke. It will definitely put those muscles to work.
The tips of the leaves are trimmed, and the artichoke is cut into quarters. The quarters are boiled in salt water for a few minutes.
✽ Step 2: Cook Onions, Garlic, & Artichokes
Now diced onions are cooked slowly in oil, and the garlic is stirred in. The artichokes are added, basted with the oil, seasoned, covered, and cooked slowly for a few minutes.
✽ Step 3: Add Liquid & Braise Artichokes
Wine vinegar and white vermouth are poured into the casserole and reduced by half. Now beef stock is added and an herb bouquet is thrown in there as well.
After it is all brought to a simmer, it's put into the oven to cook for about an hour and half.
✽ Step 4: Serve
Lastly, the artichokes are sprinkled with minced parsley right before bringing to the table.
*This blog, Laura The Gastronaut, and this post were/are not endorsed or supported by Julia Child or The Julia Child Foundation.
Category: Julia Child, Vegetables Cuisine: French
Keywords: julia child braised artichokes, julia child artichoke recipes, artichaut provencale, artichokes french recipe
✽ Did you make this recipe too?
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More Artichoke & Vegetable Recipes:
✽ Tournedos Henri IV (filet steaks topped with artichoke bottoms and bearnaise sauce)
✽ Whole Boiled Artichokes (simple artichokes- extra delicious when dipped in lemon butter)
✽ Haricots Verts a la Provencale (delicious green beans cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs)
→ Check out all of the completed Julia Child vegetable recipes!
✽ You can find this recipe and all the other Julia Child recipes I make in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I (affiliate link).
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.
✽ Check out my Julia Child Recipe Checklist to see a list of all my completed and pending recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking!
Bon appétit!
March 15, 2021 by Laura Ehlers
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