Blistered Tomatoes & Leek Creamy Shrimp Over Buttery Artichoke Bottoms

I was walking through Trader Joe’s this evening and passed the artichokes and instantly thought, I need to come up with something different than the normal way I eat artichokes which is basically just steamed or grilled and dipped in a sauce. I was inspired by the layering I did with the last recipe with the Asian Fusion Tostadas and decided to use the artichoke bottoms and layer from there. What I came up with was garlicky, creamy, and fresh goodness! I also never drink white wine but decided to pair it with a dry Italian Pinot Grigio (delicious and only $4.99 from Trader Joe’s! photo included below) and an episode of 90 Day Fiance…LIFE IS GOOD! This recipe was easy to make, took under 30 minutes, and when plated, looks super impressive. This recipe is perfect for the early stages of dating when you’re trying to show off your cooking skills or if you just like to stay in and treat yourself to a gourmet meal for one. The significant other is ranching in Colorado so mama is living her best life with a face mask on, one glass of crisp wine, and the best way I know how to relax, cooking.

Hope you enjoy!

Chopped Leeks, Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic & Artichoke

Blistered Tomatoes & Leek Creamy Shrimp over Buttery Artichoke Bottoms

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

4 Artichokes

1/2 lb Raw Shrimp

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper

3 Tablespoons Butter for Shrimp and 2 Tablespoons for Artichokes

Blistered Tomatoes, Leeks, & Creamy Shrimp before being plated over the Steamed Buttery Artichoke Bottoms

3 Cloves Garlic grated or minced

1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes

1 Leek thoroughly cleaned and chopped

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

Instructions:

1.) Artichoke prep: Cut off the bottom of the stem, leaving about 1/2 inch. Pull off any small fibrous dark leaves around the base. Cut off the top 1/2 inch of the artichoke. Using scissors, trim off the sharp, pointed tips of the remaining leaves. The reason why I didn’t cut the artichoke all the way down to the base before steaming is because I didn’t want to waste the yummy meat on the leaves so I steamed those as well and snacked on them while I was making the shrimp.

Blistered Tomatoes, Leeks, and Creamy Shrimp over Buttery Steamed Artichokes

2.) Bring a half pot of water to a boil and place the artichokes in the water, cover and steam for 12-15min until tender.

3.) While the artichokes are steaming prepare the ingredients for the shrimp. Clean and halve the cherry tomatoes, thoroughly clean the leeks (dirt can get trapped between the layers) and then chop into 1/2 inch sections, grate 3 cloves of garlic and set aside.

4.) Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and heat on medium for about a minute.

5.) Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and then place in the pan with the hot oil and cook each side for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

$4.99 at Trader Joes!

6.) Put 3 Tablespoons butter into the pan and cook for about a minute then add the garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown. Do not cook garlic on too high of a heat, keep it at medium. Then add the tomatoes and leeks and cook until tomatoes are blistered. Then add the cream and cook for 2 minutes and add the shrimp back in and heat for 2 minutes. While this is cooking prep the steamed artichokes.

7.) Remove the artichokes from the water and place face down to drain. Then cut the leaves off down to the heart/bottom of the artichoke and then carefully scoop out the little hairs until you have just the bottom. If need be, clean up the stem part so there’s no stem left after steaming. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the top of the artichoke bottoms.

8.) Plate the artichoke hearts and then spoon the yummy shrimp mixture over the top of each artichoke and serve!!