Alcachofas al Ajillo or Garlicky Artichokes #FoodieExtravaganza

Alcachofas al Ajillo or garlicky artichokes are a traditional tapas dish from Spain made with fresh or canned artichokes, lots of garlic and chili pepper. I like to toss in some small tomatoes as well, for flavor and color.

This is normally served with drinks as part of an appetizer course but it is so simple to make that you might finding yourself eating it as a quick weekday supper with plenty of crusty bread to sop up the lovely garlicky buttery sauce.

Alcachofas Al Ajillo or Garlicky Artichokes

This recipe serves 4 as part of a tapas course, 2 as an side dish. It is also easily doubled or trebled.

Ingredients
1 can or jar (drained weight 5.8 oz or 165g) small artichoke hearts
1/4 cup or 60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded tablespoon butter
8 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
1 small red chili pepper
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Few sprigs fresh parsley, hard stems removed, roughly chopped

To serve: slices of crusty bread

Method
Drain the artichokes well and rest them open side down in a strainer or on some paper towels so they can dry even more.

Split the chili pepper down the middle but leave it in one piece. This is purely aesthetic because I like the look of a whole split chili pepper. Feel free to chop it if you prefer. The seeds can be removed to lessen the spiciness of the dish.

Heat half of the olive oil along with the butter in a large non-stick skillet over a medium high flame.  Tip in the well-drained artichoke hearts. Cook for about 6-7 minutes on one side, until they are turning golden in places. Turn them gently so the artichokes can color on both sides.

Add in the chopped garlic, tomatoes, the chili pepper and the rest of the olive oil.

Lower the flame to medium and cook the garlic until softened, making sure to stir often to keep it from burning.

When the garlic is starting to color slightly and the tomatoes have wrinkled, turn the heat off. Sprinkle the top with salt, a few good grinds of black pepper and the chopped parsley. Stir again.

Serve with sliced crusty bread, and perhaps a cold beer, your favorite wine or a small glass of Spanish sherry.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of garlic? Make sure to check out all of the wonderful garlicky recipes my Foodie Extravaganza group has for you today, in celebration of National Garlic Day on April 19th. Many thanks to our host, Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking.

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Alcachofas al Ajillo or Garlicky Artichokes by Food Lust People Love
• Cuban Cube Steak - Bistec de Palomilla by Caroline's Cooking
• Fresh Green Garlic Mince Bake by Sneha's Recipe
• Garlic Fried Calamari by Palatable Pastime
• Garlic Knots by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garlic Loaded Tzatziki Sauce by Hardly A Goddess
• Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Homemade Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays, and we all post recipes using the same ingredient. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

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