Photo: Caterina Trimarchi (Shutterstock)
Marinated artichoke hearts aren’t quite a pickle, but they feel spiritually aligned with them. They’re a great accent to add to sandwiches, pizza, salads, or antipasti platters, and they come packed in a flavorful liquid that’s part brine and part oil, and is flavored with various seasonings. That liquid isn’t a strong as a pure pickle brine—it’s gentler, and a touch richer—but it makes a pleasant pot of rice.
Adding leftover brine to rice is something I’ve been doing for a while now. Pickling liquids give the rice a nice tang and sharp savoriness, but the liquid from a jar of marinated artichokes is a subtler. You get a little vinegar, but mostly oil, and that oil gives your rice a rich, herby, vegetal flavor without overwhelming it. You won’t be hit with the bracing acidity of a pickle (or the pungency of feta brine), but you will notice your rice tastes just a little bit better.
To use up the last bit of artichoke marinade, just add it like you would water to your next batch of rice. You may not have quite enough for a whole batch, but that’s alright—just make up the difference with water (or other liquid). Cook your rice as usual and enjoy.
If you need a rice cooking method (and don’t have a dedicated rice maker), we’ve got one for the stovetop, but you can also use an Instant Pot (which is what I usually do). Add one cup of rinsed white rice to the Instant Pot insert and pour your leftover artichoke marinade into a measuring cup. Add water (or feta brine) to the cup until you have 1 cup of liquid. Add to the rice, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then let the Instant Pot naturally release for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with finely shredded parm to imply, but not overstate, the flavor of artichoke dip.
