This hearty artichoke salad is a must-try spring recipe! The lemony artichokes and a fresh mint pesto fill it with bright flavor, making it fun & satisfying to eat.
Ingredient
about 6 baby artichokes
2 small lemons
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
⅓ cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
⅓ cup peas, thawed
Juice of most of 1 small lemon
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups packed spinach
¼ cup mint
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
1½ cups cooked farro (tip: cook farro in advance)
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A few handfuls of baby salad greens and/or sprouts
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Roasted artichoke hearts
Generous dollops of pesto
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
Direction
Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Trim your artichokes. I love this little animated tutorial). Place artichoke hearts in a bowl of water with sliced lemons (so they don't brown), until you get them into the oven. Brush a small baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove artichokes and lemons from the water, shaking off excess water. Toss artichokes with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange them, cut side down, along with the sliced lemons, in the baking dish. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
While your artichokes roast, make the pesto. Combine pine nuts and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse, then add peas, lemon juice and dijon mustard, spinach and mint. Blend until combined. Add olive oil and blend until smooth (or as smooth as you like).
Assemble the salad with cooked farro, chickpeas, salad greens, feta cheese, and sliced artichoke hearts. Toss with a big squeeze of juice from your roasted lemons and season well with salt and pepper. Add a few dollops of pesto and serve remaining pesto on the side