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Artichokes feel familiar as sandwich filling By Sarah Lemon Updated: Aug 20, 2021 09:21 AM A A Tuna salad sandwiches are practically my kids’ birthright. And my oldest son recently expressed appreciation for egg salad sandwiches. So there may be hope for their acceptance of a similar treatment for chopped artichokes. The logic runs that if I season canned or jarred artichoke hearts in the same way as canned tuna and hard-cooked eggs, this esoteric vegetable will seem familiar. And of course, serving cottony white bread with the crusts cut off alongside potato chips goes a long way toward making any food kid-friendly. A repository of both, this is the recipe that drew my eye several months back to a collection of canned artichoke specialties. It’s not so offbeat, when one recognizes the elements in common with artichoke dip, which is practically mainstream. Oven-fried artichoke hearts and Roman style artichoke tart inspired this blog’s recent posts. But this is likely the first recipe I’ll prepare, if only in a quantity to satisfy myself. Like tuna and egg salads, it essentially assigns a higher purpose to mayonnaise, my all-time favorite condiment. While my kids don’t share my devotion to mayonnaise — yet — they intuit its importance in tuna and egg salads. And if they won’t go for this one, that’s more for me. Tribune News Service photo Cold Artichoke Tea Sandwiches 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 small or 1/2 large shallot, peeled and minced (1/4 cup) 1 almond-sized garlic clove 8 ounces (drained weight) canned or jarred artichoke hearts, rinsed and well-drained 16 slices whole-wheat or white soft sandwich bread or pain de mie Salty potato chips, for serving In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, parsley, dill, chives, salt, pepper, paprika and shallot. Using a microplane grater, grate the garlic into mayonnaise mixture. Using a food processor or a knife, pulse to finely chop the artichoke hearts. Add artichokes to mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine. Arrange 8 slices of the bread on a work surface and divide artichoke filling among them, allowing about 3 to 4 tablespoons per slice. Spread filling to within 1/4 inch of edges of bread. Top each with another slice of bread, then transfer to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Use a serrated knife to remove crusts from sandwiches, then halve, either diagonally to make 2 triangles or into neat rectangles. Serve sandwiches chilled, with the potato chips. Wrapped in plastic wrap, sandwiches will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes 8 servings.