| | Published March 21st, 2018
| A savory side perfect for spring
| | | By Susie Iventosch |  | | Carciofi (Artichokes) with Olives and Capers Photo Susie Iventosch |
I've been studying several foreign languages on my iPad with the Duolingo language app. It is really fun and the more languages you study, the more time it takes because Duo challenges you to keep up learning streaks. So, every day I try to get in 5 to 10 minutes per language. It's especially fun to learn the words for various foods in these languages, which helps to understand menus when dining in ethnic restaurants, as well as words used in recipes of foreign origin. The languages I've been studying are Spanish, French, German and Italian. Because I wanted to make an artichoke dish for this week's food column, I decided to look into the word in each of these languages. In French and German it's very similar to English, artichaut and artischocke, respectively. In Spanish, it is alcachofa, but in Italian it's carciofo (plural: carciofi), which is different and fun to say, kar-chaw-fo. This week's Carciofi with Olives and Capers can be served as a side dish, or as a condiment to serve with meat. It would also be fantastic served on a sandwich, much like the olive salad on a muffuletta sandwich, or as the topping on crostini.
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| | | Carciofi (Artichokes) with Olives and Capers | |
12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts (I use Trader Joe's Marinated Grilled Artichoke Halves)
1 cup Greek olives, pitted and halved
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Optional: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan for topping
In a large sauté pan, heat oil and add onions. Cook over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes or so. During this time, drain the artichoke hearts and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to cooked onions, along with olives and capers. Continue to cook until artichokes and onions begin to brown slightly. Remove from heat. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese over the top.
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 | | Susie can be reached at suziventosch@gmail.com. This recipe can be found on our website: www.lamorindaweekly.com. If you would like to share your favorite recipe with Susie please contact her by email or call our office at (925) 377-0977. | | | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA