These baked artichokes with hazelnut and olive pesto turn one of spring’s most beautiful vegetables into an elegant appetizer or centerpiece. Steamed until tender, then stuffed with a savory pesto made with hazelnuts, green olives, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil, the artichokes are baked until fragrant and lightly golden. Despite their impressive appearance, they are surprisingly easy to prepare and make a memorable dish for entertaining, special occasions, or simply celebrating artichoke season.
Published in ‘In The Moment Magazine’
Artichokes have always fascinated me. They are one of the most beautiful vegetables in the produce aisle, and one of my favorites to eat, yet they can seem a little intimidating if you’ve never prepared them at home. The good news is that cooking artichokes is much easier than it looks, and once you do it once, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.
Spring is the peak season for fresh artichokes, when they are at their most tender and flavorful. While they are available in many places throughout the year, this is the time when they truly shine. What many people don’t realize is that the artichoke is actually an immature flower bud, harvested before it blooms. The familiar artichoke heart is hidden deep inside, protected by layers of leaves and a fuzzy center known as the choke.
This recipe was originally published in the June 2018 issue of In The Moment Magazine as part of a feature dedicated to edible flowers. I thought it was such a fitting theme, especially considering that the artichoke itself is technically a flower.
How to Prepare Whole Artichokes
If you’ve only ever eaten marinated artichoke hearts from a jar, preparing a whole artichoke may feel unfamiliar. The process is straightforward, though. First, the artichoke is steamed until tender, then cut in half and cleaned by removing the fuzzy choke. The halves are filled with a flavorful hazelnut and olive pesto before being baked to infuse every leaf with rich, savory flavor.
The result is a dish that feels special without requiring much effort. It makes a wonderful appetizer for guests, a beautiful addition to a spring table, or even a light meal shared with someone you love. Eating a whole artichoke is part of the experience — pulling off the leaves one by one, scraping the tender flesh with your teeth, and eventually reaching the prized heart at the center.
How to Eat a Whole Artichoke
Pull off the leaves one at a time and scrape the tender flesh from the base of each leaf with your teeth, enjoying some of the pesto along the way. Once you reach the center, you’ll find the heart — the most prized part of the artichoke — which can be cut into pieces and shared.
For more artichoke recipes, try Prosciutto Wrapped Artichoke Hearts, Artichoke Tapenade with Mixed Olives and Creamy Artichoke Spread.
Print
Baked Artichokes with Hazelnut and Olive Pesto
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
These baked artichokes with hazelnut and olive pesto turn one of spring’s most beautiful vegetables into an elegant appetizer or centerpiece. Steamed until tender, then stuffed with a savory pesto made with hazelnuts, green olives, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil, the artichokes are baked until fragrant and lightly golden. Despite their impressive appearance, they are surprisingly easy to prepare and make a memorable dish for entertaining, special occasions, or simply celebrating artichoke season.
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives
- 1 bunch parsley (or basil)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the artichoke
- 1 large whole artichoke
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic powder, to taste
Instructions
- Wash the artichoke and steam it whole for 30 minutes.
- While the artichoke is steaming, make the pesto. Add the hazelnuts, nutritional yeast, olives, parsley, and olive oil to a food processor and pulse until combined. The pesto should remain slightly textured.
- Once the artichoke has steamed, cut it in half lengthwise. Using a small knife and spoon, remove the fuzzy choke from the center of each half.
- Squeeze lemon juice over both halves and drizzle with the olive oil, making sure to coat both the center and the leaves.
- Fill the center of each artichoke half with pesto, then gently separate the leaves and tuck small amounts of pesto between them wherever possible.
- Drizzle with a little more olive oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with garlic powder.
- Place the artichoke halves on a parchment-lined baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 40 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. The artichokes are already cooked from steaming, so the baking step is mainly to develop flavor and texture.
- Remove from the oven and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Choose a fresh artichoke with firm, tightly packed leaves, since the outer leaves will be eaten.
Some people trim the leaf tips before cooking. I usually leave them intact, as they make it easier to hold the leaves while eating.
This recipe makes a wonderful appetizer or entertaining dish and can easily be shared.
2 Comments
Lerin
April 21, 2021 at 8:09 pmThis is sooooo good! I added cilantro and capers to the pesto because I need to get through them. Yum Yum Yum!
Claudia
April 22, 2021 at 12:35 amSo happy to hear you loved them. Capers sounds like a great idea! xx