If you can call eating veggies “fun” then the artichoke certainly has the handle on that distinction. My mom use to make steamed artichokes for my sisters and I when we were kids. I don’t remember eating them for dinner, and I can’t remember if we would have them with a side dish, so I’m guessing we would have them on their own as an appetizer. I think that is how to eat them best anyway, because they do need your full attention.
There are a number of ways to prepare and make artichokes, but the “fun” way is to just steam them.
The artichoke is technically a flower bud from a thistle plant that is cut before it can bloom. Because it’s a thistle, there’ll be sharp thorns on the tips of the leaves. With a sharp knife, cut off the tops so that the rosette shows, and then cut off the stem as well. The leaves usually have sharp tips, so I snip those off as well, using kitchen shears. Then I place in water. You can put a little salt and olive oil in at this time, or even some lemon to try to reduce the slight browning that will occur. Then, I simply steam them.
They will bounce around a bit because they want to float to the top. You can put a strainer over the top to limit their movement. Cover and boil for about 40 minutes, or until you can easily pluck a leaf off. When you can do that, using tongs, shake off a little of the excess water and move the artichokes to a plate to cool a bit.
While they are cooling, warm up a little bit of butter. See where I’m going with this?
When you are ready, you’re gonna want to dunk a leaf in that butter and then bite down on it–as close to your fingertips as possible–and scrape your teeth up and over the leaf, removing all the soft flesh so that it melts in your mouth with the butter.
See what I mean about fun?
Go through all the leaves, creating the perfect buttery bite each time.
The artichoke is wonderful because it saves the best for last. Although the leaves are tasty and fun to eat, you really are in for a treat if you do a little extra work and get to the heart of the artichoke. Now remember, the artichoke is a thistle, so it is going to naturally protect that “heart” with those hairy thistles.
Using a spoon, just remove them.
All your hard work is about to pay off, my friend, because now you can savor the heart.
Dunk it in butter, and enjoy.
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