Artichokes can be a daunting food. They’re prickly (often painfully so if you don’t know how to handle them), fuzzy on the inside, and can range in size from a small lemon to nearly the size of my toddler’s head. But despite their awkward appearance that may make you shrink away in intimidation, they’re gloriously tender and delicious. Once you learn how to properly trim them you’ll enjoy them from petal to heart (the best part, in my opinion).
How to Trim An Artichoke
Most artichokes come with prickly spikes on the ends of each petal. Though they will fall off, or at least soften, in cooking it’s easy to snip them off. Plus, it makes for a prettier presentation when trimmed.
First, lay your artichoke on a cutting board and slice off about a half inch from the entire tip. Then, take your kitchen shears or a pair of clean scissors and snip about a half inch from the top of each petal. I like to start at the base, trimming off any little petals too small to eat, then work my way to the top and around. Finally, trim the stem to about 1/2 - 1-inch in length.
Steaming the Artichoke
Bring about 1/2-inch of water to a boil in a pot large enough to cover the artichokes with a lid. Place artichokes on a steamer basket (you don’t want them submerged in water or they can get mushy). Cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the outer petals can be easily pulled out, about 40 minutes for a large artichoke (though not a toddler head-sized one).
Eating the Artichoke (and more trimming!)
The Petals: The petals have a tender underbelly, perfect for scraping off with your teeth. I like to mix the juice of a lemon with a bit of mayonnaise for a dipping sauce. Simply pull off a petal, dip in the lemon mayo, then scrape the flesh off between your teeth. Discard the scraped petal.
The “Choke”: About the only part you can’t eat is the fuzzy inner choke. Simply grab your butter knife or teaspoon and scrape or cut out the fuzz.
The Heart: The light green almost grayish disk-shaped heart, to me, is the best part of the artichoke! The stems are also edible, but can be quite fibrous. Simply scrape off the out edge of the stem before you eat the heart.
Now that you know how to trim and eat your artichoke, here are some great recipes to enjoy:
Steamed Artichokes With Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
Submitted to Foodista by A Spicy Perspective
Artichoke With Baked Brie Sauce Recipe
From Food Republic
Baked Stuffed Artichokes with Leeks
From The Italian Dish
Grilled Lemon Garlic Artichokes
Submitted to Foodista by goodygirlred
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