One of my favorite foods in the whole world is the artichoke. Jerry likes them too, but he hates dealing with the "choke" in the middle. I first saw how to do these on one of Emeril's shows, which is a great place to learn new techniques and see new recipes. Click on the pictures to get a larger view of all the different stages or end results on any of these blogs that are posted.
First is choosing a good artichoke. You want one that is very bright green, no or few splits in the leaves, and the largest diameter stem possible. They should make a squeaky shoe noise when the leaf portion is squeezed. The leaves have a very sharp spike on each end, so be very careful when handling them.
Cut all but 1 1/2 inches off the stem.
Cut 1-1 1/2 inches off the top.
Rinse between the bottom leaves well, prying them open as needed, getting the dirt that may have collected there out. Be careful, the spikes will get you during this stage if you forget about them. Rinse the entire artichoke with running water and pour the excess out a couple of times.
In a large pan, place a pressure cooker steam tray and the wire that goes under it, so the stems will be just above the water or barely touching the stems. I also use a steamer pan if it's big enough to hold the artichokes in the position shown at the left. The water in the bottom should have a heaping tablespoon of salt added, preferably kosher salt.
Bring the water to a boil with the lid of the pan on, then reduce heat to medium low, or until it's just high enough to keep the water at a simmer.
Check to see if they are done after about 30 minutes give or take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on what elevation you live at. I am at 7100 feet at my house, so checking after 40 minutes works well for me. At sea level, check
them much sooner. Insure the water in the bottom never runs out our you will have a burned pan.
In order to see if artichokes are done, lifting the lid carefully to avoid being burned by the steam, wait until all the steam has dissipated before reaching in and take hold of a middle leaf giving it a quick pull. If it comes off, the choke is done. You never want an over cooked artichoke for this recipe because it will be a gooey mess. If you plan to eat them without grilling, let the leaf cool slightly, then using your teeth (I put the inner leaf toward my bottom teeth) scrape the inside middle to stem area of the leaf off. This should be easy to do. If it takes two tries to get it off, let them cook until they are easy to eat but don't let them over cook. As shown in the picture above right, you will want to take the "choke" out for this recipe. To do that, cut the artichoke in half by using a very sharp knife, and cut from the stem to the top, using a slight sawing motion. You will lose fewer leaves from the "heart" of the choke that way.
Using a soup spoon, or "tablespoon", that is comfortable in your hand, insert the spoon just to the stem side of the furry inner leaves called the "choke". Remove the tiny leaves that are purple as well as the fluffy "choke" completely, leaving the artichoke half as is shown above.
After the inner leaves and "choke" are removed, as before, slice the artichoke once more to make 1/4 pieces as shown.
In a gallon sized zip bag, pour in one cup of good olive oil (Spanish extra virgin is my choice), 1 tbsp. fresh (preferably) or 1 1/2 dried minced parsley, 1/3 tsp. each of salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp. finely minced garlic. Mix in the bag by squishing the ingredients around. Place the quartered artichoke pieces in the bag and seal the top.
Mix the oil mixture with the artichokes by gently flipping the bag over, top to bottom, then side to side, until every piece is coated with the oil mixture. This can be placed aside to marinade for 1-6 hours, or made the day before and placed in the refrigerator. It needs to be turned over every 30 minutes or so to insure all the pieces are staying well coated. If left in the refrigerator, they can be flipped less often, but need to be taken out to warm up about 30 minutes before grilling.
Using tongs, take each 1/4 artichoke out and place it on a medium heat grill, then turn heat to low once they are all on. (the salmon is cooking in the foil) Turn each artichoke piece over after about 5 minutes, starting with the first one placed on the grill and continuing in sequence to the last one placed on. After 5-10 minutes, depending on your grill, the browned to slightly charred pieces should be removed to a plate or bowl while the rest of dinner is cooking. Again, this can be made a day ahead for convenience. I make them ahead to take camping in our RV. They can be reheated in foil in the oven, over a campfire, in a zip bag in the microwave, or eaten chilled. I love mayonnaise with mine, and only Best Foods will do! However some like it with melted butter. Emeril makes a lemon butter for his, which can be found on The Food Network site.
Wine: The first night we had the Pinot that was mentioned with the last post, however when eating the left over salmon with these the second night, I chose a chardonnay from Lake County California called Shannon Ridge. It had a very low amount of "oakiness" (or oak flavor), and was well suited for both items with this dinner. If you have a question regarding wine pairing and don't have time for me to write back, try the Wine Spectator's site for a quick pairing. It's not real specific, however it will give you a place to begin.
Happy eating!
This is part of the menu from the restaurant. Click on the picture and you will be able to view it in a larger format. Prices are in pesos.
Quick, Easy, and Healthy!
Lift the avocado cubes out by running a round ended knife around the edge and gradually working the pieces out from the shell. It takes a couple of times to get the hang of it, but it's really quite simple. The wider the end of the knife, the easier it is. 
Place the avocado, sliced tomatoes (I like the Campari tomatoes that are on the vine and in a plastic container), and what ever else you would like in the bowl. In the picture above, I cut up one of the little cippoline (chip-ah-LEE-nee) onions. They are about 2-3 inches across and are flat. The flavor is sweet and mild, so this makes for a nice addition to most types of salad. The one used here was red, which is difficult to find, but I found it at the Whole Foods market. Fresh basil or parsley leaves are also a nice addition and healthy.
So quick and simple! So yummy!
As you can see, I coated chicken breasts (pounded flat to about 3/4 inch thick) with my favorite seasoned bread crumbs and fried them before putting them into the baking dish. This is an optional step and is more fattening. However, it does add a bit more flavor and time to prepare, but less time to bake. 
Place the Boursin cheese rounds in the middle of the dish atop the chicken. 
No matter where we go in Mexico, we love the food! When we go to a place that has beach, I have to have fresh ceviche. 
Call it a passion, or just plain good eats. It's very health for you and it tastes great. Now where the unhealthy part comes in, I love mayonnaise with mine. A mexican friend in Cabo showed us how to eat it there, and we've been loving it that way since. My recipe is very easy, however there are many different seafood that can be put into the mix. We've had it with octopus, squid, crab, conch, and other shell fish, but shrimp is usually the most widely available. There are several different kinds also. The different regions have there own twist or tradition in making this lovely dish. So if you want to experiment... go for it. But you must remember one thing, the lime is the cooking agent, so if you decide to smother it in cocktail sauce, be sure to let the seafood and veggies cook in the lime juice. 
Jerry likes to eat his on the saltines that they serve with the ceviche, however I like mine with the tostada shells. If I can't get the tostadas, I use tortilla chips which work almost as well. Some places in the US give it to you to just eat with a fork, and that's fine too. 
Ceviche made easy and healthy!
Add 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of chili powder, depending on how spicy you would like it, to the mixture in the bowl. Do not add salt or pepper.
Using heavy duty aluminum foil, cut off a piece 1 1/2 times the length of the salmon fillet, then another just longer than the fillet. Place the shorter one in the middle of the long piece and roll the edges on all 4 sides about an inch in width, making two folds on the short sides, 4 on the long ones. This makes a good strong grilling "pan" to transfer the salmon to and from the grill. Drizzle 1/8th cup of olive oil to the top of the aluminum "pan," then spread it over the surface using the back of a spoon. 
Place the banana leaves first length-wise to the "pan" (two should be sufficient), making sure you place the small ends to the outsides. Then place three crosswise making sure the middle leaf is turned with it's small end turned opposite of the other two. Using your palm, pour about one teaspoon of olive oil into it, then rub it into the fish a section at a time, and repeating this step until the entire fillets meat side is oiled. It is an oily fish to begin with, so only use enough for a light coating. Season the salmon with your favorite seafood seasoning, salt, and pepper. I used McCormick Steakhouse seasoning grinder to demonstrate. Salmon has much flavor of it's own, and putting large amounts of seasoning on will mask the true flavor of the fish. Other seasonings that I'd like to suggest are just as easy to find. For a bit of spicy flavor, try Tony Chacher's Original Creole seasoning. Or try Nantucket Off-Shore "Bayou Rub". For a milder spice try a bread dip seasoning. They come in a shaker with 4 flavors and any of the 4 will work nicely. If none of these suit you, try mixing your own rub. There are many to be found on-line. Pick a dry rub however. 
Once this is accomplished, fold the leaves from each side starting with the lengthwise pieces first, as shown to the right. Fold the top side pieces over, then the bottom, tucking loose ends under the whole package of salmon. Adjust the salmon and banana leaf package to the middle of the foil "pan" and lift it by the long sides to take to the grill. Place the salmon on a medium-low, preheated grill. For charcoal grills, insure the salmon is as far away from the coals as possible, pushing the coals to the back. Put the lid down on the grill and wait for 20 minutes before checking the salmon. To check, put one ear close enough to listen to the package of the fish without burning yourself or your hair! You should hear a nice sizzling sound. If it is, wait 5 minutes more and remove it from the grill, or check it in 5 minutes to see if it is sizzling nicely. At lower elevations, you may want to check it sooner. I'm at 7100 feet, so things take longer to cook here. I'd rather have my salmon a little under cooked than overly so. If it needs a tiny bit more time, no problem! Put in under the broiler in your oven. No stress, it takes just a few minutes and it'll be done. Over cooked fish is dry, and you don't want that. The delicate flavor of the banana leaves is so subtle that your family may not taste it unless you let them know. It's a very elegant way to serve fish to company also. If you do not have a grill, no problem there either. Just put the packet and "pan" in a 350 degree oven and follow the steps above to check to see if it's done. You can even serve it with the leaves under the fish just as shown above. I slid the foil "pan" onto a cookie sheet to serve mine as shown in the first picture. 
Place the chunks of avocado in a bowl and add one to two tsp. of chopped or minced garlic. This is something that can be adjusted to taste, and you may use fresh or the kind in a jar. I only buy garlic that comes from California as it tastes best to me. Gilroy is the garlic capitol of the US. Next add diced fresh onion. I use only the sweet kind and am a member of the Onion of the Month club through Sweet Onion Express. They have very nice sweet onions and can be kept for two months or more by wrapping them in news paper or tissue paper and placing them in the refrigerator. Onions are another ingredient that is a "to taste" amount. I use 1/4 cup approximately with each avocado, and 1/8-1/4 loosely packed cup of fresh cilantro. Season with 1/2 tsp. of ground Cumin, and add salt and pepper to taste, adjusting as needed. Mix all ingredients well, and you have guac!
During our trip to Mexico, we had lots of wonderful food. This is my first attempt to recreate some of the things we liked best. 
Click on the picture to the left to view the ingredients in larger form if you like. Add 6 large, or 10 smaller tomatoes and 2-4 Anaheim chiles in a bag with olive oil (I like the Spanish olive oils best, and sunflower or grape seed oil may also be used). Insure each one is covered with a layer of oil. Heat the grill on high, then then turn to low or medium-low, depending on your grill. If using charcoal, keep the grill at the highest level possible. Turning often, let them get a little charred on each side, not overly so. Should be nice and even all over. Remove when this is achieved, and let cool. This can be done a day or two ahead. 
Dice a sweet onion, or as they did, a red onion to desired size and put to the side. Dice 3 or 4 large garlic cloves or the equivalent (more or less can be used as desired). Wash cilantro by swishing in lightly soaped water, then rinse and rinse again, using lukewarm water. Insure all the soap is rinsed off. Place the cilantro on a piece of paper towel, spreading it out over one regular sheet (no more than 10 sprigs are usually enough). Cover with another towel (as shown without the corner down) and roll the paper towel to the size of a big cigar. This will dry the cilantro well. 
Remove the leaf clusters from the larger stems and roll or gather into a ball as shown above. Being careful to keep the fingers safe, slice using an 8" chefs knife that has been sharpened properly. A smaller size can be made by chopping again using a rocking method with this knife by holding the tip down and chopping with the portion closest to the handle. It's all personal preference as to size of the ingredients. 
The ceramic mortar and pestle I purchased broke on the ride home from Mexico, however this picture shows the method I used to make the tomatoes and chilies into a nice size for eating. The chili may be sliced lengthwise first and the skin will remove easily if that's what you prefer. 
