I remember my first artichoke. I was a young graduate student in California spending my first Thanksgiving away from my family. Never had I seen such a strange thing on the table and couldn’t imagine how to go about eating it. “One leaf at a time,” my host said. So I picked a leaf and bit down.

She was a patient teacher.

This is another recipe where substitutions are always welcome. An important key to frugal cooking is to know what’s in the pantry and be adventurous about switching out ingredients. Fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and cilantro would be excellent additions also.

This is a beautiful fall dish — perfect as a vegetarian entree and ideal on the Thanksgiving buffet right beside the turkey!