Karen Martini's artichoke salad with lemon and capers

Name: Karen Martini's artichoke salad with lemon and capers
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 200ml extra virgin olive oil; 2 x 350g tins/jars artichoke hearts in brine, drained; 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 100g cream cheese, at room temperature; 50g parmesan cheese, finely grated; 3 tbsp lemon juice; salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper; ½ small, thin-skinned lemon; 3 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped (or mint leaves, torn); 2 tbsp drained capers; 2 tsp dried chilli flakes or ground Aleppo pepper; 150g oil-marinated sheep's feta

Karen Martini

June 4, 2021

Is it a dip? Is it a salad? Either way, it's delicious.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

This is somewhere between a dip and a salad, so it's perfect with some pita, grilled sourdough or lavash-style crackers as a snack, perhaps with salumi – or, as a side, with grilled fish, lamb chops or roast chicken.

Ingredients

200ml extra virgin olive oil
2 x 350g tins/jars artichoke hearts in brine, drained
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
100g cream cheese, at room temperature
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 tbsp lemon juice
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
½ small, thin-skinned lemon
3 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped (or mint leaves, torn)
2 tbsp drained capers
2 tsp dried chilli flakes or ground Aleppo pepper
150g oil-marinated sheep's feta

Method

Step 1
Heat 50ml olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the artichokes and garlic and fry for 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until golden and caramelised.
Step 2
Blitz half the fried artichoke (reserve the rest for garnish) and all of the fried garlic in a food processor for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the cream cheese, parmesan, lemon juice and another 50ml olive oil, season with salt and pepper and blitz until emulsified into a smooth paste (this will take about 2 minutes). Transfer to a serving platter.
Step 3
Slice the lemon into very fine rings; a sharp serrated knife works best. Cut each ring into 8 small triangles, then drizzle with 10ml olive oil and season in a medium bowl.
Step 4
Slice the remaining fried artichoke roughly, then add to the bowl. Add the parsley (or mint) and grind in plenty of pepper, then toss to combine.
Step 5
Heat 40ml olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the capers and fry until crisp (about 2 minutes). Drain on a paper towel; they'll crisp up even further.
Step 6
Pile the artichoke and lemon mix onto the puree on the platter, then dress with the remaining 50ml olive oil. Sprinkle over the capers and chilli, then crumble over the feta and serve with toasted pita, grilled sourdough, Turkish bread or lavash.