- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large artichokes
- 4 ounces pancetta, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped (white part only)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 16 to 20 large oysters, plus oyster liquor
Place the lemon halves
and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot of boiling water. Add the
artichokes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain and allow to cool. Pull off the
leaves, and scrape off the artichoke flesh at the ends. Dig out the inedible
fuzzy choke with a spoon; dice the artichoke heart. Set aside with the
reserved scraped flesh.
Heat the oven to 450F. In a medium saute
pan or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook the pancetta until brown;
add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter. Saute the green onions,
garlic and parsley unitl tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the diced artichokes
and lemon juice. If the dressing seems dry, add some oyster liquor to moisten.
Saute for about 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Remove from heat, add 1/4 cup of
the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese and toss lightly.
Place 4 or 5 oysters
into individual casseroles or ramekins. Top with the artichoke dressing.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake until browned, 10-15
minutes. Serve with a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce over the dressing. Serves
4. Seafood Sauces
There are plenty of people to whom the crucial problem of their
lives never get presented in terms that they can understand.
- John Jay Chapman