Artichoke Cafe's Blog

The Perfect Summer Cocktail

August 10th, 2010 • Posted by Artichoke Cafe • Permalink

House bartender Rob Lemberger has a cocktail for you that is the bee's knees for escaping the summer heat:

Pepino Chilaca
Ingredients:
2 oz. Hangar One Chipotle vodka
2 oz. Cucumber Agave Puree (recipe follows)
2 Muddling lime pieces (preparation follows)
1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
1 slice Cucumber
Method:
Rim a Collins glass with salt and set aside. Combine vodka, puree and lime juice into a cocktail mixer filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain mixture into the prepped Collins glass. Fill with ice and garnish with a sliced cucumber wheel.

Muddling Lime Pieces:
Cut a whole lime in half along the equator. Cut each half into quarters. One whole lime equals eight muddling lime pieces.
Cucumber Agave Puree:
Using a hand blender, puree multiples of the following proportions; two inches of cucumber per one oz. of agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water), along with a dash of fresh lime juice.

Niman Ranch: What Sustainability Really Means

July 28th, 2010 • Posted by Artichoke Cafe • Permalink

Via:www.nimanranch.com
Copyright © 2010 Niman Ranch. All rights reserved.

Sustainability is a buzzword that seems to be popping up everywhere within the food community, but what does it really mean?

Niman Ranch takes sustainability very seriously. It is one of the founding principles driving everything they do. To them sustainability means treating the land as a precious natural resource. Their farmers raise fewer animals per acre and practice crop rotation to maintain the health of the soil. They also use alternative energy sources to keep their operations up-and-running. If the farmers are raising livestock in an environmentally responsible way they are cognizant of the land and are careful not to exhausts its resources. Proper agriculture practices should be done in a manner that allows each following generation to perform these same practices.

Take the Jaca family for example, their family has been ranching the same land for over 100 years. Inez and Elias Jaca are 4th generation Basque Ranchers who raise cattle for Niman Ranch. Their children who are now involved in the day to day responsibilities of caring for the livestock are 5th generation ranchers and their grandchildren are soon to be 6th generation ranchers.

Niman Ranch believes that raising livestock can and should be done in an environmentally sustainable manner. Raising animals traditionally, the way their farmers and ranchers do, protects our water supply and preserves the land for future generations. Niman Ranch and its U.S. family farmers and ranchers raise livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the finest tasting meat in the world.

Order sustainably, humanely raised meats for direct delivery to your home.

Artichoke Cafe Caters Dinner for 300 at the Cancer Center

June 23rd, 2010 • Posted by Katixa Mercier • Permalink

The New UNM Cancer Center was Officially dedicated the weekend of June 11 and Artichoke catered a dinner for 300 at the facility after their concert Gala at Popejoy Hall. Guests dined on appetizers of Crab Cakes with Remoulade, Peppered Ahi Tuna Skewers and Local Goat cheese Bruschetta with Fig and Caramelized Onion.

The buffet dinner menu consisted of Roasted Salmon Fillet with Saffron Tomato Ragout, Chicken Breast with Goat Cheese and Porcini Mushroom Stuffing with Burre Blanc Sauce, Local Organic Greens Salad and Orzo Pasta with White Truffle Vinaigrette.

Guests enjoyed bite-sized desserts offerings of Pignoli Cookies, Espresso Hazelnut Brownies and Key Lime Squares.