Artichokes

I admit that artichokes is not a dish I often make for company as it is somewhat awkward to eat. But, when artichokes are in season, it is a dish I often make for myself. I can quite happily spend a half-hour or more slowly eating my way through one large or two medium-sized artichokes. My granddaughter began eating artichokes before she was two years old (without vinaigrette). Here are three different recipes.

Artichokes Vinaigrette

2 large or 4 medium sized artichokes

salt (1 to 2 teaspoons per quart of water)

juice of a lemon (which prevents discolouration) 

vinaigrette dressing (see separate entry)

• Remove the touch outer leaves from the artichoke. Trim the tips from the remaining leaves with a scissor or sharp knife. Trim the stem and base of each artichoke. (I usually cut an “x” into the stem about half an inch from the base.)
• In a large pot, bring water to the boil to which you have added the salt and lemon juice. When the water is boiling, add the artichokes. These should be boiled slowly for about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes. You can put a heavy plate on top to keep them under the water.  The artichokes are done when a leaf pulls off easily. 
• Remove the artichokes from the boiling water. Turn them upside down to drain and cool. 
• The choke may then be removed with a sharp spoon, by gently pushing aside the leaves and scooping it out. (Alternatively, leave the eater remove the choke when they reach it.)
• Serve cold with well-flavoured vinaigrette.

 

Baby Artichokes Vinaigrette

24 baby artichokes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Dressing

3 cloves garlic, smashed into a paste with the flat of a knife

4 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3/4 cup tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

• Before cooking, trim each baby artichoke with a sharp stainless steel paring knife to get rid of the outermost layer of leaves. 
• Cut off the stems level with the bottom of the artichoke, and cut off and discard the top part of the artichoke to get rid of the sharp prickly points.
• Put the trimmed artichokes in a non-aluminum pot with enough cold water to cover them by about one inch. Add the lemon juice to keep the artichokes from darkening.
• Place a small plate directly on the artichokes -- in the pan -- to keep them submerged. Bring to a simmer over high heat. 
• Turn the heat to low and keep the artichokes at a bare simmer for about 15 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by combining the garlic, lemon juice and parsley; whisking in oil; and seasoning with salt and pepper. 
• Poke the artichokes with a paring knife to test for doneness. They should feel like a slightly underdone boiled potato. 
•  When done, drain and pour over the vinaigrette. 

Grilled Artichokes*

*Source: Melissa Anderson, Fine Cooking, August/September 2003, p. 12

Medium sized artichokes

Olive oil

Minced garlic

• Trim and boil artichokes for about 20-25 minutes. (This can be done up to a day ahead of time.) 
• After they have cooled enough to handle, cut them in half from stem to tip and scoop out the choke. (A melon baller works well for this.) 
• Brush the artichoke halves with olive oil and minced garlic. 
• Let them sit and marinate like this for a couple of hours. 
• Grill the artichokes using indirect heat for about 10 minutes per side or until they are nicely browned. 
• Serve as an appetizer.

Melissa suggests serving these with a mayonnaise sauce (either mayonnaise with lemon juice, cayenne and chopped fresh parsley or mayonnaise with stone ground mustard and lemon juice). But I am not a mayonnaise fan so I won't provide a recipe for this.