Artichoke Caponata

Jasna and I went to graduate school at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. We arrived in Waterloo before RIM aka Blackberry was a success, which means we experienced Waterloo before its high-tech boom. Even for two graduate students who came from a non-first-world country, Waterloo was a dingy place. We were longing for all things related to home, and one day someone pointed us to a tiny hole-in-a-wall store called Vincenzo's. They carried Fructal's fruit juices, something every Slovenian appreciated deeply.

So we visited Vincenzo's. The store was tiny and packed beyond what should be legal. But they did carry the good stuff, and we became regulars. We were not alone in thinking that Vincenzo's was making a big difference in a town with extra wide road shoulders that can accommodate Mennonnite buggies. Since then, the Caccioppoli brothers took full advantage of the influx of money and consequent upscaling of Waterloo. Their store has moved twice, and is now as spiffy as any high-end market in Silicon Valley.

We loved Vincenzo's sandwitches. In fact, we still love them and get them every time we are in Waterloo. A standard ingredient for sandwiches was an addictive spread/dip called artichoke caponata. One cold purchase that dip on its own at a ridiculous price, which we did, despite being poor graduate students. One day, I realized that the jar of caponata had a label on it, listing the ingredients. That was the last time we helped Caccioppoli brothers make handsome profit on that particular item.

The list of ingredients was super simple: mayonnaise, asiago cheese, and artichoke hearts. So I went to Vincenzos, got the cheese and artichokes. I made the mayo in our food processor, added the shredded cheese and drained artichokes to the food processor, ran the machine for a minute or so, and made the caponata. It was exactly it!

You may ask about the proportions. Frankly, I don't record them and wing it every time. The recipe is very tolerant of variations. Even a caponata recipe I found on the web specifies a large range for how much mayonnaise one should use. I prefer more cheese and artichokes, and just enough mayo. I vastly prefer marinated artichoke hearts, and I like fresh asiago over aged one, but all of that is akin splitting hairs. The result is beyond tasty and is also very versatile. You can spread in on a piece of bread and optionally add a piece of ham, or you can use it as a vegetable dip, or add it as cold sauce to steak or braised beef.

While we are at it, let me put in a plug for home-made mayonnaise.

We almost never keep a jar of mayonnaise in our fridge. Usually the jars are too large, and few store-bought mayonnaises can compete in flavor with Tommy mayonnaise we were using back in Slovenia. Well, that was true before we discovered the Korean supermarket that carries Kewpie mayo from Japan. That one is a force to be reckoned with.

I still tend to make the mayo when we need it. This way there is no need for me to plan ahead, we make only as much as we need. Most importantly, we are reminded that mayonnaise is nothing but an emulsion of oil, lemon juice, mustard, and egg yolk. Pretty much 100% fat. Making it yourself really curbs the consumption!

Another good thing about making your mayo is that you can choose what oil to use. Olive oil yields mayonnaise with a very strong olive-oil taste. Vegetable or avocado oil have much more neutral taste, giving one much more freedom to add spices to affect the flavor. On the other hand, the home-made mayo does contain raw egg yolks, which presents a risk that some people are not willing to take.

The procedure for making mayo is really trivial: To the bowl of your food processor add two egg yolks, a tablespoon of Dijon style mustard, a pinch of salt, and juice of one lemon. Pulse a bit until everything is mixed up well. While the machine is running, drizzle in SLOWLY the oil. About one cup will be the right quantity. You will hear it when the mayo thickens - the sound that a food processor makes is quite distinct. Stop the machine, taste the result and adjust the seasoning if needed.

This is a very basic mayonnaise recipe. You can add spices, herbs, and/or garlic, roasted or not, and you can combine different oils for different results. Lately I have been using 1 part of olive oil and 3 parts of vegetable or avocado oil.

Summary:

• 1 cup mayonnaise (vary to taste)
• 2 cups shredded asiago (vary to taste)
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic (vary to taste)

Method:

Mix and chop all ingredients in a food processor until artichokes are chopped pretty finely.