This simple salad is one of the signature dishes of La Petit Maison, the famous Nice restaurant. It has always been a favourite of mine as the subtle crunchiness of the chopped artichoke is perfectly matched by the rich nutty flavour of the shaved parmesan cheese.
Find a 'hand' of baby blue artichokes in the market. (Not the larger artichokes which are boiled for the stems of the leaves and the 'heart'). They are not easy to find outside French farm markets; they are rarely seen in London, for instance.
Trim off all the leaves until you reach the stem, and chop it off. Slice it roughly, being careful only to keep the edible parts.
Arrange the chopped pieces on a plate with slices of parmesan cheese and some rough grains of sea salt. A simple vinaigrette can be sprinkled over it for taste.
You can mix it with a green salad if you like (as in the photo)
Note that you can keep all the unused parts of the artichokes and boil them up in a saucepan to make stock for an asparagus risotto or a soup - or both!
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