Smoky (as in smoke-alarm) Artichokes

I’ve always known my three kids to be good sleepers. But tonight my cooking set off the fire alarm after they were in bed and nobody woke up!

I’ve been trying to pre-cook Easter dinner this week. The hope is that I can spend more time hiding eggs tomorrow instead of cooking. So I was making these chili, oregano and garlic olive oil infused Roasted Artichokes tonight.

At first the roasting vegetables filled the entire house with the heady smell of garlic and vegetables caramelizing. But at a roasting temperature of 500 degrees, caramelization eventually turns black. Thus, the smoke and the smoke alarm.

I threw the roaster of artichokes out on the back deck and ran upstairs to open all the windows and fan the air near the alarm with a big blanket.  Then I heard my neighbor yell in the open window, “Everything ok in there?” “Uh, yeah, thanks Bill.  Just doing a little cooking.” Ironically, Bill told me earlier today that he was smoking salmon tonight….outside. Guess I should’ve paid more attention to the headnote on the Roasted Artichokes recipe; in Sicily, they roast their artichokes over an open fire…outside.

Yes, I tasted them.  They are amazing; smoky (go figure), garlicy, spicy and caramelized with tender leaves.

Roasted artichokes cooling on my back deck