Artichokes

I have a fairly new love for artichokes. I tried them once as a kid and hated it. I finally got up the nerve to try them again last summer and LOVED it!

It is a very versatile veggie. You can stuff it, dip it, blend it, mix it, or steam it!

Today I was super hungry for lunch and did not feel like putting much work into what I was going to have so imagine my delight when I opened the fridge to find a lovely artichoke inside. WAHOOOOOOO!

If you have never prepared an artichoke it can seem overwhelming, but don't worry, if you know the tricks it is super easy and not to mention delicious!

The first thing to note is that artichokes brown quickly so you must work fairly quickly.

Take a sauce pan and fill it with about an inch of water. Put on stove to boil on high.
Add:
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp bay leaves (or 1 whole one)
1/4 tsp minced garlic

1. Cut a lemon in half and have ready to use
2. Cut the top 1/3 of the artichoke off
3. Trim top 1/3 off of all the remaining leaves
4. Rub the cut lemon all over the cut edges of the artichoke to help them not brown too quickly (it also gives great flavor)
4. Cut the stem off right up at the base of the artichoke
5. Rub the base with the lemon
6. Reach your fingers inside the center of the artichoke and pull out the middle inch diameter of leaves
7. Use a spoon and scrape all of the fuzz out of the center.

Once the artichoke is prepared place it in the boiling water standing upright. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer until you can easily pull an outside leaf off. 20-30 minutes depending on the size etc.

To eat them you pull a leaf off of the artichoke and where it connected to the artichoke is the meat. use your teeth and slide the leaf through until you scrape the meat into your mouth. You can also eat the center after all of the leaves have been removed! This is my favorite!

I love artichokes!
Enjoy!