On the 100th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway's birth, Craig Boreth gives the reader a tour of the author's taste buds in The Hemingway Cookbook. With chapters titled "The Early Years," "Italy," "France," "Spain," "Key West and Cuba," "East Africa," and "Idaho," as well as the Hemingway Wine Cellar and the Hemingway Bar, the reader is assured of finding taste treats ranging from
This was one of Hemingway's favorite vegetables (Selected Letters, p728), and the Colonel enjoys this dish, once thought to be an aphrodisiac, at the Gritti Palace Hotel in Hemingway's Venetian novel Across the River and Into the Trees.
Serves 4
Vinaigrette:
3/4 cup finest olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
Artichokes:
4 artichokes
4 slices of lemon
Prepare the vinaigrette two hours before serving. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add garlic cloves and steep for two hours.
Clean the artichokes by plunging them repeatedly, upside down, into cold water. Cut the stems off the artichokes, leaving a flat bottom. To prevent discoloration, tie a slice of lemon to the bottom of the artichoke with kitchen string. Break off any tough bottom leaves. Cut off the top third of the artichoke, and trim the top *-inch off the remaining leaves with scissors. Bring a large pot of water, salted and with vinegar added, to a boil. Add artichokes, and boil for approximately 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when an outside leaf pulls away easily. Remove the artichokes, drain upside down in a colander, untie the lemon slice and rinse the artichokes thoroughly in cold water. When artichokes are cooled, open them slightly, remove the very thin center leaves, and scoop out the choke with a spoon. Serve artichokes whole, one per person, with vinaigrette in a saucer for dipping the leaves.
