Serves 4 as a side dish. March begins the season of the perfect artichokes in California. This is just a slightly different way to enjoy your chokes with a bit of crunch.
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2 globe artichokes, preferable with some stalk.
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1/2 lemon
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 egg, beaten, set in a shallow bowl and set aside
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1 cup Margot's Morsels Simply Sea Salt crumbs, in a shallow bowl
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
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1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
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finely grated zest of one lime
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juice of one lime
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Salt, white pepper to taste
Prepare the artichokes: Peel all the leaves off the choke. Peel the stalk and with and trim the bottom neatly with a paring knife. Cut the trimmed artichokes in half vertically and with a spoon remove the hairy choke - if your artichokes are really big, cut into quarters.
Be careful when cutting your artichokes to cut the stem evenly. Rub immediately with lemon juice so the they don't oxidize and turn brown (which happens fast!).
Steam the hearts until tender. Time will vary depending on the size of the hearts (about 15 minutes). Once steamed, dip each artichoke piece into the egg and then into the morsel crumbs. Finally, fry in olive oil over medium heat until just golden. Set on paper towels to absorb the oil.