Artichoke?

[Catrin]

Trader Joe's had whole artichokes yesterday for $1.19 so I picked up one. I've no idea what to do with it, but am trying to broaden my vegetable horizons. I am looking for recommendations - what is YOUR favorite thing to do with whole artichokes?

[VeganBikeChick]

Steam them and make an aioli for dipping :)

[westtexas]

I steam mine and then eat them with butter or ghee.

Basically, you cut part of the top off so that it will stand flat in about 1/2" water in a pan. Get the water to a simmer and cover for ~20 minutes. It's ready when the center leaves pull out fairly easily (if you've never done this before, try to pull out a center leave before you steam for a comparison). Then you just peel the leaves off one by one, dip the base of them in your butter or ghee and scrape the meat off with your teeth. When you get to the center, the leaves get all wimpy and pointy, so I just pull those off until you get down to the flower. Use a knife to cut the hairy stuff out of the center and you're left with the heart. Cut into eights or quarters and dip in butter. YUM.

I LOVE artichokes.

[malkin]

Check youtube for a video!

[shootingstar]

Admittedly it looks like taking off alot of external leaf to get to the real tasty part? But same thing for a fresh pineapple.

I'm happy to have it at a restaurant.

[malkin]

The bottom of each leaf should be a tasty bit.
The heart is a big tasty bit.

Eating them is very interactive.

In prep I use a mighty knife to trim the thorns off of the top of the outside leaves and scissors to trim the thorns off of the shorter leaves on the outside. Just peel off and pitch any crappy little leaves near the stem.

[snapdragen]

The bottom of each leaf should be a tasty bit.
The heart is a big tasty bit.

Eating them is very interactive.

In prep I use a mighty knife to trim the thorns off of the top of the outside leaves and scissors to trim the thorns off of the shorter leaves on the outside. Just peel off and pitch any crappy little leaves near the stem.

This^^^^^^

Here's a nifty recipe (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/), with pictures! I usually cook my 'chokes in plain water, or in the microwave. I may try this one though with garlic and bay leaf added to the water.

[melissam]

This^^^^^^

Here's a nifty recipe (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/), with pictures! I usually cook my 'chokes in plain water, or in the microwave. I may try this one though with garlic and bay leaf added to the water.

Hey Snap,

I used that same recipe this week! It works like a charm, and the mayo with balsamic is FANTASTIC!!!!

Maybe we should have artichokes this afternoon....

- Mel

[Catrin]

Yummm! I am looking forward to my experiment :) I don't have any mayo however, so will wait until tomorrow evening and have it as part of my (hopefully) post-long ride dinner. THAT depends on the weather, but now I am really curious about this odd looking vegetable. They didn't have it in cold-storage at the store so am just keeping it on the kitchen counter until I am ready to try it.

Thanks!

[melissam]

Yummm! I am looking forward to my experiment :) I don't have any mayo however, so will wait until tomorrow evening and have it as part of my (hopefully) post-long ride dinner. THAT depends on the weather, but now I am really curious about this odd looking vegetable. They didn't have it in cold-storage at the store so am just keeping it on the kitchen counter until I am ready to try it.

Thanks!

Catrin,

The 'choke should be fine on your kitchen counter. I hope you enjoy your experiment! When I was eating my artichoke this week, I kept thinking how divine it was, and that all was right in my world.

Good luck on your long ride!

- Melissa

[Savra]

I steam mine and then dip them in mayonnaise. One quick note - don't eat anything on it that looks purple. That part is essentially poison. Make sure to scoop all the purple out before eating the heart and don't eat the purple part of the soft center leaves.
They are delicious.

[malkin]

I read on your other thread about eating more fat--artichokes are a perfect vehicle for gobs of tasty butter or mayo!

[Catrin]

I read on your other thread about eating more fat--artichokes are a perfect vehicle for gobs of tasty butter or mayo!

To think it took me 52 years to learn that we can eat more of the artichoke than the heart :) I look forward to the experiment tomorrow, hopefully after a nice long bike ride - weather permitting.

[pll]

Hmm. Artichokes! At home we eat them boiled (I'd steam them here) with a vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon.

[westtexas]

i read on your other thread about eating more fat--artichokes are a perfect vehicle for gobs of tasty butter or mayo!

+10,000

:)

[Catrin]

+10,000

:)

I tried to buy the full fat mayo...but just couldn't do it. I got the reduced fat - and will add yummy things to it tonight. I am looking forward to trying the artichoke out! Do the leaves reheat well, say if I were to take some to the office tomorrow for lunch and reheated in the microwave? It is just me...

[westtexas]

I don't think the leaves would reheat well. I'm pretty sure one artichoke is a single serving, there really isn't that much "meat" to it. Because of you I really wanted some artichokes too, but when I went to the grocery store all they had was pre-packaged ones so you could microwave them. Really? Now even vegetables have to be processed before people will eat them? Sigh.

Also - you should really try making your own mayo. The stuff in the stores has a really scary list of ingredients. Making your own is SO easy too. All you need is olive oil, a lemon, an egg, salt and pepper. Takes about 5 minutes to make, not including the 30 minutes you need to let the egg and lemon juice rest together before starting. And it keeps until the date of expiration on your egg carton. If you want the recipe, let me know.

[Catrin]

I don't think the leaves would reheat well. I'm pretty sure one artichoke is a single serving, there really isn't that much "meat" to it. Because of you I really wanted some artichokes too, but when I went to the grocery store all they had was pre-packaged ones so you could microwave them. Really? Now even vegetables have to be processed before people will eat them? Sigh.

Also - you should really try making your own mayo. The stuff in the stores has a really scary list of ingredients. Making your own is SO easy too. All you need is olive oil, a lemon, an egg, salt and pepper. Takes about 5 minutes to make, not including the 30 minutes you need to let the egg and lemon juice rest together before starting. And it keeps until the date of expiration on your egg carton. If you want the recipe, let me know.

Thanks West Texas, I didn't realize that it was just a single serving. I've access to 3 day old organic free-range eggs and have some extra virgin olive oil...and I just found a recipe. Time to experiment :)

[five one]

In my own experiments with making mayonnaise, I have found that the flavor of extra virgin olive oil is too strong. The non virgin oils labeled "extra light flavor" make a better tasting mayo IMHO. But everyone's tastes are different.

The other day, I tried walnut oil and used Bragg's apple cider vinegar in place of lemon juice. Yummy! Do make sure your egg and acid are room temperature to avoid curdling.

[westtexas]

In my own experiments with making mayonnaise, I have found that the flavor of extra virgin olive oil is too strong. The non virgin oils labeled "extra light flavor" make a better tasting mayo IMHO. But everyone's tastes are different.

The other day, I tried walnut oil and used Bragg's apple cider vinegar in place of lemon juice. Yummy! Do make sure your egg and acid are room temperature to avoid curdling.

+1 to the room temp. Let them sit together at least 30 min.

And +1 to the oil. I use super cheap whatever "olive oil" is on sale. I save the extra virgin stuff for salads :)

[Catrin]

+1 to the room temp. Let them sit together at least 30 min.

And +1 to the oil. I use super cheap whatever "olive oil" is on sale. I save the extra virgin stuff for salads :)

I didn't do the room temperature as it was too late by the time I saw your note, but the end result wasn't bad for my first result and will serve the purpose. I only made one cup. I found a huge bottle of extra virgin at Trader Joe's yesterday for $5 so I grabbed it - next time I will pick up the "regular" olive oil as well so I will have both.

The experiment worked - the artichoke was tasty - odd - but tasty :) I think making the mayo from scratch helped me from eating too much of it since I KNEW just how much oil was in it :)

[malkin]

For mayo I use a small amount of good olive oil and use something lighter for the majority of it. I don't wait for the egg to warm to room temp, but I do rinse the eggs out of respect for the bacteria that I will not name.

If we have fresh mustard I use that.

I have tried substituting when I didn't have lemon, but it has always been unsatisfactory.

Fresh mayo rocks!

[Owlie]

Now I want an artichoke.

[Pedal Wench]

I like it just steamed or microwaved, with nothing added. Seems like the flavor is too delicate to cover with anything else.