Artichoke Salad

I love artichokes but the preparation their raw form requires intimidates me. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I'm not afraid; I'm just lazy. Despite the luscious rewards of preparing buttery roasted artichokes, I am much happier, usually, to settle for less unctuous but still satisfying marinated artichoke hearts. Artichoke are prominently featured in Syrian cooking, with many recipes involving stuffing the hearts with spices, pine nuts, and ground meat. Some day, I will make those recipes. 

Beautiful but a bitch to prepare.

Last night I was just fine with making an artichoke salad inspired by a memory of a similar botanical assemblage I enjoyed during my first visit to Damascus.

Ingredients

• 5-7 Artichoke hearts marinated in oil (from a jar like this from your local supermarket)

• 1 large tomato (chopped)

• 1/2 red onion (chopped)

• 4 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

• More olive oil (if necessary)

• Salt and pepper

Directions

Toss artichoke hearts, tomato, onion, and parsley together in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and more olive oil if you like.