I love artichokes. I love artichoke dip. So I thought I would love TJ's Artichoke Antipasto, but this stuff is not good. It takes like pickle relish! Is there a certain way you're supposed to eat this? I have been eating it room-temperature/cold. Is it better warm?
Nope, it is not improved by warming. I've tried it as a condiment and an addition to warm dishes and it actually is best served to the garbage disposal.
Agreed. Artichokes are among my top 5 favorite foods, but I cannot abide the stuff. I don't know why or how they keep selling it. I can't imagine that anyone ever buys a second jar.
Sounds pretty bad.
We like TJ's grilled artichoke and parmesan dip.
"Pickle relish" is a pretty accurate description of this nasty stuff! I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't the taste I got out of that jar.
BTW: Warming it won't help make it anymore palatable, either. It will throw a noxious cloud throughout your kitchen causing the more sensative noses to seek an open window or garbage can while simultaneously demanding an accounting of your cooking experience. I ended up tossing mine.
I guess this isn't what you're referring to but I purchased a jar of Trader Joe's Two Hearts Artichoke & Hearts of Palm Bruschetta and wasn't too thrilled with it either...
Sounds like they were going for a giardinera taste, thanks for the warning.
It's good to see I'm not alone. After I tried the antipasto, I looked for it on yahoo and found some recs for it on CH about what to get from TJ and some other sites saying it was good on toasted bread so I thought maybe I was just eating it wrong.
I think I might try the Artichoke and Parmesan dip that was mentioned.
I almost got the Hearts of Palm and Artichoke dip but I didn't because either I've never had hearts of palm or I have and it's nothing special to me. If I'm correct, hearts of palm tastes a bit like bamboo shoots.
The closest Trader Joes is about 5 states away, but I can give you some feedback about the hearts of palm.
It's been a while since I've eaten bamboo shoots, and I don't quite remember the flavor, but I think the texture is quite different. In SoFla, hearts of palm (palmitos) are abundant and popular -- and delicious. Good hearts of palm (and there are plenty of bad ones out there) have a somewhat crisp outer layer, with the center being kind of creamy. They're not a majorly flavored veggie, but the texture is great and the flavor mild -- great in salads. We eat a salad with thickly sliced palmitos, halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions with a bit of great EVOO and some red wine vinegar. Add some chunks of good avocado and that makes it even better.
Also, they are very high in fiber and low in calories with no fat, so a healthful snack. Not sure about a dip with artichokes, though; that's not a combination I'd be running to buy.
Try this: pick up a bag of Trader Joe's frozen artichoke tortellini and a bag of frozen artichoke hearts. Cook both appropriately and combine with lemon juice, olive oil, and some scallions: refrigerate as a pasta salad. Very artichokey. Good to come home to in summertime.
Ohmy, this sounds sooo good.
I once had this spinach tortellini stuffed with cheese dish and it had an alfredo-like sauce with chunks of artichokes hidden into it. You couldn't really tell you were eating a piece of artichoke because it blended in with the color of the tortellini but it was cut into little wedges. So good!
There is no Trader Joe's where I live. Can I order the Artichoke Tortellini on line?
I thought the TJ's Artichoke and Parmesan dip was ok but the artichoke flavor was subdued. If I bought it again I would probably mix in more artichokes (TJ's brand canned artichoke hearts are a reliable product and a staple in my pantry). I haven't tried the Artichoke and Hearts of Palm dip but am guessing it might be on the bland side. I also keep TJ's brand Organic Hearts of Palm around for adding to salads or snacking - this is also a pretty good product.
I sometimes find an item I dislike at TJ's as well. As always bring it back to them in whatever state and they will give you a refund. This is there best way to know a product sucks.
Good. It's not just me. I didn't exactly spit it out, but I was never anxious to finish the jar. It's too mushy and vinegary or something. I do love artichokes but am not a fan of the vinegary canned/bottled taste.
OTOH, we bought a similar product in a glass jar at Costco and love it. We're on our 3rd jar in as many weeks, and it's good enough to put in a plastic container, take it to a party and pass off as our own!
This might suit you better. Go to the link and scroll down to "Artichoke Tapinade
".
Well it's 2011 and I guess they are still making it. i wasn't crazy about the taste right out of the jar but came up with a way to use it. I drained the jar of most of the fluid and in a bowl added tuna,chopped kalamata olives, mayo and dijon for a tuna salad on wheat toasted sandwich. It tasted pretty good made this way.
Ha. Googled this today out of curiosity because I bought it in hopes of substituting an "Artichoke Lemon Pesto" that my Trader Joe's cookbook called for, since I couldn't find it. Looks like everyone hates it! Now I'm sad that I bought it. But if all else fails, draining it and adding it into a tuna salad sounds pretty good. Thanks for the back up plan!
I bought it and didn't like it either, but found a great use for it. I used it as a base for artichoke strudel, made with TJ's artichoke antipasto, lemon zest, grated Parmesan & bread crumbs. I spread this mixture on a EVOO'd baking sheet and baked it at 375 for about 15 minutes. The result was a brown, crumbly topping which I keep in the freezer. When I want to use some, I crumble a little on some foil and pop it in the toaster oven for a few minutes to get it crisp and sprinkle it on salads (delicious on watercress or arugula) or on fresh vegetables. In the future, though, I would go for frozen artichoke hearts. Just a good way to use up this product...
i bought this a few months ago as they had a tasting..it was the artichoke antipasta w/havarti white cheese on a italian bread they also selll. It was grilled w/butter on it.. I tell you this was absolutely wonderful tasting.. I bought it all and have been enjoying it like this since.. SO those who complained try it like this.. mmm good and I NEVER ate atipasto before... I cant wait to get to my nearest store to purchase a few jars so I always have it on hand. I know tho, I would not eat it alone but this way its YUMMY I also added thin sliced turkey at time.. TRY IT
Actually its wonderful in a turkey meatloaf. Adds wonderful moisture and a little fat. I use half the bottle that way, and the remainder in an omelette or quiche (well drained). I love it.
I can't believe people don't like the artichoke antipasto from Trader Joe's I LOVE it! I buy every jar on the shelf. I spread it on fresh cut sourdough bread with shredded mozzarella and broil it.
HEAVEN!
I’m agree with everything in the initial statement. Thumbs down for me.
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