Philosophizing About Food With Francine: Chicken Breast with Artichoke Hearts

by Francine Black

An easy little one pan Sunday supper: chicken breast medallions with tomatoes, mushrooms, cannellini beans, herbs de Provence, and artichoke hearts in a white wine cream reduction.

This dish is reminiscent of Mediterranean fare as we feature a wondrous relative of sunflowers: the artichoke!

Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean, having been grown since 300 BC in Italy, Sicily, and Greece. As with all delicious foods, they did their fair share of traveling. On their way to Spain, the African Moors, having developed a taste for artichokes, brought the plant with them from Sicily. Anyone familiar with Verdi’s opera, “Othello”, will know a bit about the history surrounding that event.

The Spaniards developed the artichoke into the plant we know today and the French emigrés, escaping the French Revolution, brought it with them to Louisiana. Meanwhile in the 1800’s, a group of Spaniards brought the artichoke to the Salinas Valley of California where it thrived beautifully and where, to this day, nearly all of U.S. production originates.

Artichokes are immensely nutritious, providing more antioxidants than any other vegetable and being loaded with many other nutrients. We love them eating them freshly steamed with a nice dip. This evening’s meal features jarred hearts for ease of preparation.

Hope you give this dish a try, dear friends!

High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.

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