Artichokes cooked in white wine and sautéed in butter with crabs flavored with celeriac puree, and garnished with dried tomatoes and flat parsley is a humbly elegant appetizer that will start off a dinner party in a convivial and vivacious note. Serve this dish with grilled or toasted bread for a more sumptuous experience. The bread will sop up the savory juices of the white wine and butter, making every bite indescribably rapturous.

Use a light and unoaked white wine in making this dish and avoid chardonnay because it makes the artichokes turn bitter. A subtly sweet German Riesling or Alsatian Pinot Gris can wonderfully balance the earthy richness of artichokes. Bright lemony Gavi or Trebbiano wines can accent the dish and give it more punch, while a clean white and light Sauvignon Blanc can complement the pungency of the fresh vegetable.

To prepare artichokes, rinse them well under cold running water and gently clean with a soft kitchen brush to remove the natural bitter film covering them. With a sharp knife, cut about an inch off the top of the artichokes then cut off the stem, which is an extension of the heart. If you want, you can include the stem, which is nice and crunchy. Remove the hairy stuff in the center, which is inedible. Gently scrape this fuzzy “choke” out with a spoon. The smaller the artichoke, the more tender it is when cooked and the rounder the vegetable, the larger the heart.

Don’t cook the artichokes in an aluminum pan as this will discolor them and give them an unpleasant taste. After placing the prepared and cleaned artichoke hearts in the pan, simply cover them with white wine and simmer on low heat for about forty-five minutes. Add more liquid if it starts to dry out. After cooking, the artichokes should be tender.

Ingredients

4 artichoke hearts

0.44 lbs. crab meat

2 shallots

1 cup white wine, salt

pepper

17 ½ tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons nutmeg

0.44 lbs. potatoes

0.44 lbs. celeriac

1 spoon dried tomatoes

4 teaspoons flat parsley

For white butter:

1 tablespoon flour

2 spoons vinegar

8 cups water

Preparation Instructions
1 In a saucepan, cook artichoke hearts in white wine for about 45 minutes until nice and tender.

2 Cut crabmeat into portions. In a pan, heat crabmeat in butter, along with the artichoke hearts.

3 Prepare a celery puree mixed with boiled mashed potatoes, butter, and nutmeg. Use a food processor to get a smooth and fine consistency.

4 Place celery puree at the bottom of the plate. Pour artichoke hearts and crabmeat over the puree.

5 As garnishing, decorate with dried tomatoes and parsley.