Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorites, and rarely do I change up any of her recipes.  I had a dinner party and served her Roasted Artichoke Salad, which was delicious. A couple weeks later though, I decided to tweak a couple items in her recipe. While it is still very similar, my repeat guests and I felt this recipe really allowed the flavor of the artichoke to shine through.

Basil Vinaigrette Roasted Artichokes

Ingredients

• 2 Cans quartered Artichoke Hearts
• 1/3 cup Roasted Red Peppers in a jar
• 3 tbls Capers
• 3 tbls Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 package Fresh Basil
• Olive Oil
• 3 tbls Champagne Vinegar
• 2 tbls White Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Videlia Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Salt & Pepper
• *Food Processor or blender

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Toss the artichoke hearts in a bowl with a small amount of olive oil, enough to coat, and salt and pepper. Pour the artichokes onto a covered baking pan, making 1 layer, and roast for about 20 minutes. 

While the artichoke are roasting, chop up the red peppers into 1/2 inch length pieces and toss with the capers. 

To make the vinaigrette, place the basil, onions, dijon, lemon juice, garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar and some oil into the food processor. Pulse the ingredients, adding about 1/2 a cup of  olive oil slowly from the opening in the top, until the items are pureed. Make sure the processor is running as you’re slowly pour in the olive oil.

When the artichokes are finished roasting, toss them with the red peppers & capers and the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Ideally, refrigerate for an hour, or up to a day in advance, and serve at room temperature. You can either serve them on their own, as a part of a Mediterranean platter, or they could even be tossed in a pasta salad or on top of grilled chicken.