Artichoke Toast

I just wanted to do a quick "drive by" post... I've been very busy in the past few days and didn't get a chance to do much cooking. I had this appetizer in a Spanish-Tapas restaurant called Firefly on Paradise and LOVED it. If you are ever in Las Vegas, you difinitely have to give it a try. The serve UNBELIEVABLE Sangria and hundreds of tapas, hot, cold,vegetarian, meat, seafood etc. You can check out Firefly Menu Here. You can imagine how excited I was when I found the recipe. It is a fabulous appetizer that you'll find yourself craving all the time. I hope you'll give it a try and fall in love with it as much as I did.



* 1 (12-ounce) can quartered artichokes
* 4 ounces lemon juice
* 4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1-ounce whole coriander seeds
* Dash hot sauce
* 1 loaf baguette, sliced 1/2-inch thick, brushed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme
* Garlic Aioli, recipe follows
* Quartered, marinated artichoke hearts, for garnish
* 1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, and sliced
* 1-ounce fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the artichokes, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt, parsley, coriander seeds, and hot sauce; mix well. Refrigerate and marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven broiler and spread the bread slices onto a baking sheet. Broil the bread slices until they are toasted. Spread the sliced bread generously with Garlic Aioli, top with a marinated artichoke, a strip of red pepper, and then sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately.

Garlic Aioli:

2 eggs*

1 tablespoon Thai chili-garlic sauce (recommended: Sriracha)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt
In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, chili-garlic sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Pulse until well mixed, and then slowly pour in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is thick and creamy. Season, to taste, with salt.