Baked Artichokes With Onions, Lemons, Black Olives And Mint Recipe

How to make it

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• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a roasting pan or flameproof baking dish, toss onions with 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, olives, mint and about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until all ingredients are nicely coated. Trim off one end of the lemon to get past the white pith, then slice it in the thinnest possible half moons, removing the seeds as you go and discarding the opposite end. Add lemon slices to onion mixture, pour over the white wine, toss and let the mixture sit while you trim the artichokes.
• Peel stem of each artichoke and trim off the tough end. Strip off dry or damaged outer leaves. Slice spines off the leaves with a sharp paring knife or scissors. Slice artichokes in half and remove the hairy choke in the center with a stainless steel spoon. Rinse artichoke halves in cold water and sprinkle with salt, rubbing it between the leaves. Drizzle with a little olive oil, being sure to get some between the leaves.
• Spread the onion mixture out in the baking pan. The onions should have wept enough to leave about half an inch of liquid in the pan. Add a little water if necessary — it will steam the artichokes as they bake.
• Tuck artichoke halves into the onion mixture, cut side down, and place the pan over low heat on the top of the stove. When the liquid in the mixture begins to bubble, press a sheet of parchment paper down onto the artichokes and onions, then tightly cover pan with aluminum foil, dull side out.
• Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until you can easily pull out one of the inner leaves and pierce the base with a small, sharp knife. The top layer of leaves will be a bit leathery. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, uncover the pan and bake for about 15 minutes more. The tips of the leaves will be lightly browned.
• Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.