Each month in Well Stocked, our staff shares unfussy recipe ideas that you can call upon any day of the week. Because yes, our editors love to cook, but sometimes we need to get dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That’s when we look to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly morph into delicious meals. This month, it’s all about marinated artichokes.
Oh, the artichoke: an aloof green globe, made up of scale-like leaves and a fuzzy interior. But the flavor? So vegetal, so buttery. As a member of the thistle family, the raw vegetable takes a fair amount of trimming and coaxing (including removing the spiky part aptly known as the choke) before it’s good to go. And after you’ve wrestled it into submission, there’s not a ton to show for all that effort.
Which is part of the appeal of marinated artichokes—the kind you get in a jar. Tender, tangy, and genuinely ready to eat, they’re a shortcut worth taking, adding a bright hit of acidity and a satisfying meaty texture to all kinds of dishes. Toss them into a pantry-friendly pasta with speckles of salty pancetta. Mix them into a no-cook antipasto salad. Even nestle them into an unhinged sandwich. Read on for five smart ways our editors put them to work.
Halfway-homemade galette
A last-minute galette happens to be my specialty, and marinated artichokes are the perfect addition. You could make this full recipe, which involves a simple cream cheese filling, those ’chokes and asparagus, plus a vinaigrette-dressed arugula topping. But you could also just toss the artichokes with whatever other veg you have in the fridge and a couple spoonfuls of marinade, maybe some grated parm if you have it, into a rolled-out puff pastry crust. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
Briny potato salad
My team knows my love for a good potato salad, as I sing its virtues all the time. Marinated artichokes are a killer ingredient to add to a French- or German-style potato salad that’s heavy on the vinaigrette: Add chopped marinated artichokes and their brine to just-cooked potatoes, which will hungrily drink up the juice. Standard marinated artichokes are fine; grilled marinated artichokes (like the jarred ones at Trader Joe’s) are even better. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
