[koukouvagia]

'Tis this season for artichokes and I've always felt a little guilty about not liking this vegetable much.  I may not have had the right experiences with this vegetable and I admit I have never cooked it.  I grew up eating raw artichokes, it was our snack when they were in season.  We'd sit and pull off each leaf one by one.  The bottom part of each leaf has a small white bit that is edible and we would chew on the leaves.  When we peeled away all the leaves my mother would clean out the choke, cut up the heart and sprinkle lemon juice and salt on it for us. This is also commonly served with ouzo or raki.  I still enjoy raw artichokes very much but when it comes to cooked I'm not so keen.  There's something about them, the flavor is delicate but yet it takes over.  It is hard to pair with wine and with other flavors. It colors the palette bitter.  

So what are your recipes for artichokes?  I do want to try.

 

[pete]

One of my favorite ways is to peel off the outer leaves, trim them down, and remove the choke.  I then boil them until just barely tender, cool them down then place them in a hot sauté pan and smash them down so that the leaves spread out like a flower.  I cook, flipping once or twice until the heart has browned a bit and the leaves get a bit of carmalization on them.  I like to dip them in a traditional beurre blanc sauce with a bit of garlic added to it.

 

[phatch]

Artichokes are well known for not matching up with wine.

I usually microwave them in a glass loaf pan. 1/2 an inch of chicken stock, cover with plastic wrap and nuke 10 minutes. It's from the Joy of Cooking as i recall. Browned butter with some garlic and lemon is my preferred dip.

 

[someday]

Try this artichoke stew. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8369-artichokes-a-la-barigoule

When you are done, you can take the cuisson and reduce it to a glaze. Use that as a base for a home made mayonnaise to dip your artichokes in. I like to cut the cooked artichokes into quarters or even eights and soak them in buttermilk. Dredge in a mix of half semolina and half Wondra flour, fry lightly and dip in the artichoke mayo. Really good.

 

[chefross]

I serve them just about every week. I clip the sharp tips and then cut about 1/8th off the top and place in a pot of acidulated water. Cover and cook 25-30 minuted until a small knife can pierce the underside easily.

After I take them out of the water, I allow them to cool for 5 minutes and drain, then I use a spoon to remove the insides and scrape the choke out.

I put a pat of butter, some salt and pepper. I cover them and keep them warm until service. They are usually filled with Bearnaise sauce, but sometimes I serve them room temperature with a simple vinaigrette.

Only when the leaves are starting to fade, do I cut it all up just for the heart.

My favorite recipe is "Eggs Sardu"

The heart with sauteed spinach, a poached egg and Hollandaise.

 

[rpooley]

Only when the leaves are starting to fade, do I cut it all up just for the choke.

My favorite recipe is "Eggs Sardu"

The choke with sauteed spinach, a poached egg and Hollandaise.

Do you mean "the bottom/heart" instead of "the choke"?

My daughter and I love them whole, steamed, but we will do all the work on the leaves and then everyone is trying to take the heart. Just serving them with melted butter is our preference.

I love turning them for the bottoms, cooking in acidulated water (or a blanc if I'm feeling up to the extra step) and then filling, esp like ChefRoss, poached egg and a sauce, maybe with mushrooms or spinach. The bottoms make great do-ahead first courses as they can be easily reheated without much compromise.

 

[pete]

Personally, the way I usually eat them is just boiled until tender and start pulling them apart and dipping them in aioli while still warm.  Once you get to the heart, scoop out the choke and dip that in aioli also.  It has to be a really garlicy aioli though.

 

[cerise]

...

 

[chefross]

Do you mean "the bottom/heart" instead of "the choke"?

My daughter and I love them whole, steamed, but we will do all the work on the leaves and then everyone is trying to take the heart. Just serving them with melted butter is our preference.

I love turning them for the bottoms, cooking in acidulated water (or a blanc if I'm feeling up to the extra step) and then filling, esp like ChefRoss, poached egg and a sauce, maybe with mushrooms or spinach. The bottoms make great do-ahead first courses as they can be easily reheated without much compromise.

Thanks I corrected it. I meant the heart