Day 13: Okey Dokey Artichokey

Steve:  I had a feeling this ingredient would make it's way into the experiment and lo and behold today is the day. I don't have a problem with it and kind of think it is under utilized.  I will say that I am glad I was not told that I had to use the fresh version of this because I have never done that before and would prefer not to experiment on more than one level.

Day 13 Ingredient:  Artichoke

I had no idea that you can buy artichokes in so many different ways, but one look at the shelf (look on the canned vegetable aisle) will show you a vast array of marinated artichokes, regular artichokes, large artichokes, baby artichokes, halved artichokes, quartered artichokes and whole artichokes.  You can get them any way you want them.

The normal way I eat them is in a dip.  Spinach Artichoke dip is one of my favorite appetizers at any restaurant and I could have gone in that direction today, but I know that would have killed my creativity score.  I know that a lot of people put them into a pasta dish, but again that seemed like a cop out to me.  I went in a different direction and I think it worked well

Day 13 Ingredients

1 cup quartered marinated artichoke hearts
1 pizza crust (store bought or homemade)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup black olives

1 onion cut in thin half moon slices
1/2 cup favorite marinara sauce
1 egg
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning

Instructions

1.  In Skillet over medium heat brown onions in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Cook 7-8 minutes or until onions are caramelized.  Remove to separate bowl.

2.  Add ground beef to skillet, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and brown ground beef.  Once cook remove from heat.

3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza crust on parchment paper to 11" X 15" (doesn't have to be exact).  Cover with sauce, italian seasoning, onions, artichoke hearts, beef and olives.  Be sure to leave about a 1/2" edge along the border of the crust.

4.  Make egg wash using egg and 1 TBSP water.  Brush on edge of pizza crust.  Using parchment paper, roll pizza crust from short end to short end to create a log.  Brush log with egg wash

5 Place parchment paper and log on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the log is golden brown.

6 Allow to rest for 10 minutes, slice into 1-2 inch slices and serve with heated marinara sauce.

Day 13 Meal:  Beef and Artichoke Stromboli

I totally forgot to add cheese to this dish, but it didn't need it.  The flavors were awesome, and since Heather doesn't like too much spice, I added some hot sauce at the end and it was lovely.  The artichokes were great, and paired perfectly with the ground beef.  The caramelized onions and black olives were also great additions.  If I have one critique it is the crust.  I seriously need to come up with my own recipe, but until I do, this one is the best for a chewy texture with a bit of crispiness on the outside.

Heather:
Taste-4.75 stars: Creativity-4 stars

This was a great dish and absolutely delicious! The reason I did 4.75 stars was because I think the cheese would've pushed it to a 5. I don't think you can eat a dish like this without cheese, but what can I say I'm a huge cheese fan! The artichokes worked very well with the ingredients and it made a perfect stromboli. When I saw it come out of the oven, I thought it was a calzone, which I think artichokes would work for that as well. As for creativity, I gave 4 stars because although it is creative, it wasn't a total surprise.