The artichoke is a beast that I have steered away from in the supermarket for years. It is like the ultimate challenge. You know it is somehow impossible to cook and/or eat, and yet someday someone is going to point a finger at you and demand,
"HAVE YOU EVER COOKED AN ARTICHOKE?"
...and your answer will be a tiny, meek, helpless,
"no."
It's okay though. Don't cry. I'm here to save you....the secret that your gourmand elitist friend doesn't want you to know is that artichokes are actually easy. And wonderful. They are like lobster in that they do take a bit of maneuvering around to eat, but just like our steadfast hard-shelled friend, they are worth the effort.
I didn't vote for this guy, but I did vote for the artichoke. That is because while being a super low calorie food (60 calories in a medium artichoke), they are super high in fiber, Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and other goodies. I guess that's why you can allow yourself to have butter with it. In fact, my dinner this evening consisted of two small artichokes and a caprese salad. YUM!
Here's how to do it. You'll need a sharp knife, a cut lemon, a big pot, a steamer or a little pot, and a weight.
1. Slice the stem off your artichoke. Some people like to boil and eat this. The stems on mine were too puny, so I discarded them. Then, slice about 1/4 of an inch off the bottom of the choke, so it will sit on a flat surface. Rub the cut surfaces with lemon to prevent them from turning black.
2. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the artichoke in the same manner. Rub with lemon.
3. Salt a pot of water. There should be enough in this pot to cover the chokes with an inch of water over them to spare. Put the chokes in and you will see that they float...so weigh them down. I used a pot with a vase inside it. This tended to make my water overflow, so I would go with an upside down steamer weighed down with something safe.
4. Great. Now boil those babies for 30 minutes. Check them after 20 if they were small like mine. Otherwise, maybe 30 isn't enough. Maybe more. Who knows. MYSTERY!
...just kidding. I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. To check if your green darlings are done, gently insert a knife into the very center. It should enter easily. If it doesn't, boil some more.
5. Take your chokes out and drain them for at least 5 minutes in a colander. This will give you time to melt some butter.
Now, to eat one of these babies is something you kind of have to prepare thyself for. You take each leaf, and the meaty part at the bottom that attaches it to the choke is edible. Scrape this between your teeth. As Alton Brown said in his artichoke episode, there's not a lot of meat, but a lot of flavor. Be dipping these nibbles into the butter as you go. MMMMM!
My artichokes didn't actually have a choke, persay, but the choke is a little fuzzy inedible bit right above the heart. Scrape or cut this away and eat the base with butter. It is fantastic and you will devour it so quickly you'll wish you had a whole plateful. Such it is with lobsters, too. Note to self: investigate the possibility of a themed dinner.... "Night of many difficulties." I will serve artichokes, lobster, crab legs, fugu, and crack-your-own walnuts.
Now, who wants an invite?
PS: here's a link to that Alton Brown vid. I think he's a funny and smart guy, so check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqRAACohEA
No comments:
Post a Comment