basics365: The Awesome Artichoke

May 18, 20142 Comments

The Art in Artichoke

There are some ingredients that take a little more effort to prepare than others, but the payoff is so great that it is worth the extra time.  Artichokes definitely fall into this category for me.  Not only is the payoff great for your taste buds but also for your body.  This vegetable is high in fiber and protein, low in calories, and packed with vitamins.  The most edible section, the artichoke heart, is so versatile that it can easily be added into your meal rotation.  They can be roasted, added to dips, pizzas, pasta dishes, soups, or salads.  Even if you don’t have the time or desire to tackle the preparation of an entire fresh artichoke–either to eat whole or to break down to the heart–you can get the benefits of this vegetable from the convenient, year-round options of frozen or jarred artichoke hearts.

I have mentioned artichokes several times in some of my answers to questions we’ve featured each week because I love them.  One of my fondest childhood food memories is working my way through the meaty ends of the outer leaves of the artichoke to get to the delectable “prize” of the heart.  I am not sure they make them anymore, but we even had special artichoke plates that were designed with an area to place already eaten leaves and a little bowl for your chosen dipping sauce (mine was, and still is, a simple thousand island-type dressing of ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together—sounds gross, but it is delicious!).

Any food that kids can eat with their hands and includes a dipping sauce is always fun to try, but even if you just use the artichoke hearts, you’ll still get the flavorful benefits of the vegetable.  If they aren’t already, artichokes in some form or another may become a favorite in your family too!
Kimberly

Artichoke Tips

• When shopping for whole artichokes, look for firm and heavy globes.  Avoid cracked or discolored leaves.
• Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• Always have lemon on hand when working with artichokes since they discolor when cut.  Rubbing cut edges with lemon juice, or submerging cut artichokes in lemon water, will prevent discoloration.
• If you cook whole artichokes to use the artichoke hearts in a dip, reserve the leaves to use as the dipping vehicle.

Steamed Artichokes
This simple recipe from Power Foods by the editors of Whole Living Magazine includes instructions on how to prepare the whole artichoke for cooking.  Serve with a dipping sauce or melted butter.

• 1 lemon
• 4 globe artichokes

1.  Prepare a bowl of water large enough to hold all of the artichokes.  Peel 1 lemon with a vegetable peeler, then cut in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.

2.  Remove any tough outer leaves from artichokes.  Working with one artichoke at a time, use a serrated knife to cut off the top quarter of each.  Use kitchen shears to trim sharp tips of the leaves.  Remove any small leaves from bottom and trim stem just enough that the artichoke can stand upright; place in lemon water to keep it from turning brown while repeating with the remaining artichokes (if the artichokes float in the water, you can use a small plate or wet dish towel to weigh them down in the water.)

3.  Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water; set a steamer basket (or colander) inside pot, and bring water to a boil.  Place the lemon peel and artichokes, stem ends down, in basket.  Cover and steam until bases of artichokes are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 20 minutes.  (Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the artichoke.  Another way to test for doneness is to pull at a leaf.  If it comes out easily, then the artichoke is done.)

4.  When cool enough to handle, use a small spoon to scoop out center cone; scrape out purple leaves and fuzzy choke. (I usually do this last step once I have eaten and removed the outer leaves. It is much easier to remove it at that point. Kimberly)

*Easy version from Sharon – if you don’t care how your artichokes look (they may get a little brown but they will still taste good), just give the stem a fresh cut and toss the washed artichokes in a large pot of boiling water or steamer basket.  Cook until done (about 40 minutes), drain, and serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

Roasted Artichokes
These can make a healthy, delicious side dish without a lot of work.  It comes from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, and they offer this tip: preheat the baking sheet so it gets sizzling hot to help evaporate more water from the defrosted artichokes that naturally contain lots of moisture.

• 2 (9-ounce) boxes frozen artichokes, thawed and patted dry (they can be defrosted in the microwave on high, covered, for about 3 to 5 minutes, then drained in a colander and patted dry)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a bowl, toss the artichokes and garlic cloves with 5 teaspoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

2.  Spread the artichoke mixture evenly over the hot baking sheet and roast until the artichokes are browned around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

3.  Mince the roasted garlic cloves.  Whisk the remaining teaspoon oil, lemon juice, basil, and minced garlic together in a large bowl.  Add the roasted artichokes, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss gently to coat.

Variations:  Roasted Artichokes with Fennel, Mustard, and Tarragon  Roast 1 small, thinly sliced fennel bulb along with the artichokes and garlic.  Reduce the amount of lemon juice to 1 teaspoon, substitute 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon for the basil, and add 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard to the lemon juice mixture.

More artichoke recipes: 

• A delicious, easy recipe for Fettuccine with Artichokes.
• Martha Stewart’s website has a great collection of artichoke recipes.