Artichokes| How to steam and eat an Artichoke

What is an Artichoke?

Artichoke

Artichokes/ globe artichoke/artichaut is an immense flower bud of a thistle plant. They are round and you can found them in two colours green and purple. Also, they come in big and small size. The outer part of globe artichoke is very hard and rough if you compare with baby artichokes and the inner part is covered completely with leaves and also the edge of the leaf is pointy with thorns.

Don't be scared, they are so good and delicious! if you know the way to cook this edible flower. It is gluten-free and perfect for vegans.

But if you are not familiar with Artichokes then it's a bit tricky! because when you see this vegetable for the first time you will start questioning yourself:

1. How to cook?
2. How to eat?
3. Is it a vegetable, fruit or flower?

I can imagine better because I discovered them for the first time in France and ate them as a pizza topping and I didn't grow up eating Artichokes, if you are encountering them for the first time like me, then they might seem a little intimidating! I remember when I cooked them for the first time it was terrible and even I ate the leaves and that choking fuzzy part! Yuck. And I stopped buying this wildflower for a couple of months.

Then, I started watching several youtube videos and now it's really easy for me to cook.

And I would love to share the easiest way to cook and eat lovely Artichokes without eating chokes and leaves like me!

Different methods of cooking artichoke:

Artichokes can be prepared in four different ways like boiling, steaming, grilling or baking with stuffed vegetables. The French people enjoy artichokes in different ways and I have learned a classic recipe of artichokes from my neighbours i.e. steaming which saves a lot of time simply cooked and eaten leaf by leaf is one of the best ways to savour the delicate flavour of the artichokes. One of my absolute favourite methods is steaming and baking.

Steaming/boiling

Let's have a look,

Here, I'm presenting the easiest way- STEAMING

What do we need?

Ingredients

• 2 globe artichokes
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic (optional)
• 2 tsp olive oil

For the vinaigrette

• 1 shallot(small onion), finely chopped
• 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to cook an Artichoke?

The following is a method that I've been using to steam artichokes with garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper.

You can easily steam artichokes in a pressure cooker but I prefer to do it in a microwave using microwave clear film.

Step 1. Cut the tips of the leaves

Cut off about 4 cm from the top of each artichoke. Using kitchen scissors, trim the tops of the remaining leaves to remove the sharp points and browned edges. Rub the lemon juice on the cut surfaces to prevent discolouration, then cut the stem level with the base.

Step 2. Seasoning

Open the artichokes leaves using hands and place the garlic cloves in between the leaves and drizzle lemon juice on the top and also add little olive oil.

Add in garlic and drizzle lemon juice

If artichoke is too big then boil it for about 5 minutes before placing in a microwave

Step 3. Wrap with a clear film

Wrap each artichoke in a microwave clear film and stand on a large plate in the microwave or place directly on to the turntable. Microwave on full power for about 10 minutes until tender when the base is pressed; continue cooking if necessary for about 2 minutes. Leave to stand for at least  5 minutes then remove the film carefully with the help of a knife or fork to release the steam.

Wrap with clear microwave film

Step 4. Remove the choke 

Leave the artichokes to cool down slightly, then, using a spoon, scrape out the 'choke' ( choke is prickly inner leaves and the hairy fuzzy part underneath that is non-edible and choke your neck).

Hairy fuzzy part is known as 'CHOKE'

Remove the Choke

After removing the choke you can see the heart of the Artichoke

Step 5. Serve with Vinaigrette

To make the French vinaigrette, place the shallot, mustard, lemon juice, salt and, pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix. Gradually add the olive oil whisk until thick.

you can also use store-bought vinaigrette.

How to eat an Artichoke?

To eat an Artichoke is also tricky for the people those who are unfamiliar with it. Today, I 'll let you know how to eat an artichoke with the help of step by step images and directions.

They can be eaten hot or cold but I prefer to eat hot artichokes. 

 Pull off the leaves and dip in sauce Vinaigrette

• Pull off the outer leaves one by one at a time and eat the white fleshy tender part of the leaves. Scrape the soft part through your teeth and discard the remaining petal. (scrape just like you are eating mango pulp from the mango slice).

Scrape like this

• Continue until all of the petals are removed and you reach to the heart( heart is the bottom part beneath the choke), but when you reach to the bottom of the heart you will find some pointy purple leaves remove them all at once also the hairy part also called choke.

• Now, enjoy the artichoke heart with more lemon or pepper.

Cooking tip

Cooking artichokes in a microwave saves a lot of time. Otherwise cook them in a large pan of boiling water or steamer with a few tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar, heat resistant plate and in addition to that it consumes a lot of gas and cooking time.

Another way of making Artichoke 

Just add in boiled potatoes, onion, capsicum filling with grated cheese in between the leaves and baked it for about 45 minutes in the oven or just simply wrap it with clear film and place it in a microwave oven for about 12 minutes.

Serve hot!

Notes:

• Before cleaning artichokes apply olive oil on to your palm to avoid itching.
• Clean artichoke properly under tap water to remove dirt.
• Don't eat choke and whole leaf.

Did you try out this recipe?

Let me know how it went and share your snapshot on Instagram, Facebook with the hashtag

#anuappetizingrecipes

Thanks for visiting Anu appetizing recipes!