Bake this Napa-inspired Artichoke Pie with a red wine reduction

The Napa Valley inspired this California-centric pie in Stacey Mei Yan Fong’s new cookbook, “50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States” (Voracious, 2023). When you think of the Golden State, she says, artichokes and avocado come to mind. Fong wasn’t about to make an avocado pie, but artichokes had definite possibilities, especially when paired with a Napa red wine reduction.

Artichoke Pie with Savory Almond Crumble and Red Wine Reduction

Makes one 10-inch pie

INGREDIENTS

All-Butter Crust, half a recipe

Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing

Red wine reduction:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup each chopped white onion, celery and carrot

1 clove garlic, minced

2¼ cups dry red wine

1½ cups ruby port

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Almond crumble:

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup chopped almonds

2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, sage, thyme)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Bechamel: 

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Artichoke filling: 

2 cups thawed frozen artichoke hearts

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped white onion

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Roll out the dough, fit it into a greased 10-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Blind bake it (line it with parchment, add pie weights and bake it for 20 minutes at 375 degrees).

Make the wine reduction: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, 10 minutes. Add the wine and port, bring to a simmer and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half in volume. Strain the mixture through a sieve and return the liquid to the saucepan. Continue to simmer to reduce the liquid
to 1½ cups, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool. (You can make the red wine reduction 2 days ahead.)

Make the almond crumble: In a mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, flour, almonds and herbs. With your fingers, incorporate the softened butter until the mixture looks like wet sand. Chill until ready to use.

Make the bechamel: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture turns golden brown. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate saucepan until it’s just about to boil. Slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, continually whisking, until smooth. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then season with salt and nutmeg. Set aside to cool.

Make the filling: Cut the artichoke hearts into halves or quarters. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the artichoke pieces and onion, season with salt and
pepper, and sauté until the onion is slightly caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until the artichokes are tender. Drain the artichoke mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the parsley and béchamel and season to taste.

Assemble the pie: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the partially baked crust on a baking sheet. Fill the crust with the artichoke filling and top with almond crumble. Bake the pie on the center rack for 35 minutes. Brush the crust with olive oil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the pie is golden brown.

Manwhile, warm the red wine reduction. Serve the pie warm with red wine reduction drizzled on top and a big glass of your favorite California wine.

Excerpted from 50 PIES, 50 STATES by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Copyright © 2023 by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Photography by Alanna Hale. Food styling by Caitlin Haught Brown. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.