The 'Art' of the Artichoke ~

Artichokes were my favorite vegetable as a child, a curious vegetable that was such such fun to eat... finger food at it's best! We had them often, always simply prepared ~ either boiled or steamed with a flavorful dipping sauce. It was always a treat when they were on the menu.

There are so many ways of preparing and serving them; but for whole, fresh artichokes I prefer them with a minimum of 'fussing'. Here's the way I do it ~

Choose firm, solid artichokes; I look for the ones from California with the thicker leaves, and tightly closed. It doesn't matter if they are not perfect looking, sometimes they have been "kissed by the frost" which burnishes the color a bit. They are still perfectly delicious.

The medium to large size ones are my favorites. The 'Jumbo" size you may occasionally see are impressive but they are challenging to cook ~ by the time the inside is tender the outside leaves are usually mushy, so I avoid them.


First give them a good rinse under running water; spreading the leaves gently to rid them of any debris or insects.

Cut off a bit of the stem end and discard.



This next step is not necessary, but if I have the time I like to do it to get rid of those pesky thorns at the tip of each leaf. It makes the eating experience more enjoyable.

Then with a SHARP knife cut the top of the artichoke off:

Fill a pot large enough to hold the artichoke(s) with cold water, add the artichokes and squeeze some lemon juice in if you like. After squeezing the juice add the lemon pieces in, too.
The acid in the lemon is supposed to keep the artichoke from darkening, but every cooked artichoke I've ever had is dark green, lemon juice or not, but I like the mild lemon flavor.

Bring the pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Hasten the time it takes to boil by covering the pot with a lid. You can salt the water if you like, I usually don't as I like the faint sweetness of the artichokes to shine through. Some like to add herbs; bay leaves, thyme sprigs, a whole clover or two of garlic, a few peppercorns or a whole, small dried red chili ~ but I don't bother.

Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low; a gentle simmer.

If you are cooking more than one artichoke you can usually wedge them into the pot so they stay submerged under the water.

Otherwise they tend to float, and will not cook evenly.

Here is a LOW tech solution ~ :)

Place a heavy heat proof dish, or a pyrex pie plate on the edge of the pot so it holds the artichoke under the water.
Use caution if you try this method ~ Tip the plate slightly into the pan so it won't fall onto the stove top, and use hot mitts/pot holders when removing it ~ it will get very HOT.

Cook the artichoke until just tender throughout. Depending upon the size it will take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour. Test for tenderness periodically by piercing a slender skewer through the center of the stem end, (I use a thin bamboo skewer), when the artichoke is done it should offer very little resistance and the heart should be tender, but not mushy.

Aaah, Perfectly Cooked!

Serve it with your favorite dipping sauce.

Most often I serve it with plain mayonnaise, well stirred so it's nice and creamy, sometimes I add a little very finely minced garlic to make a shortcut aioli.

I love artichokes!

August 19th: Back to edit~

It just occurred to me that some may not be familiar with whole artichokes, or how to eat them.

That was the case years ago when my parents hosted a casual dinner for a couple of their friends . The couple had always avoided buying artichokes because they looked impossible to eat. Things changed that evening after a quick example of how to tackle the 'job' ~ They ended up adoring artichokes too. For a long time afterwards they fondly remembered their first 'whole' artichoke eating experience at our house. :)

If you are not familiar, here's how to approach eating a whole artichoke ~ it's easy! (I also described this in "comments", but I thought I might post it here, too, for those that don't read the comment section.

We eat them, plucking a leaf at a time & dipping each into some kind of sauce (some people like melted butter with garlic & lemon in it), then while holding the tip end of the leaf with your fingers (that's the end that I cut off with scissors in the photo) , pull it through your teeth, scraping the bit of flesh off to enjoy. (This is definitely casual eating. Like corn on the cob! You most likely will NOT find it at a formal dinner.) :)

Simply continue enjoying the layers of leaves until they become small near the center of the 'choke. Then separate the leaf portion that is left from the bottom "heart" portion, and with a spoon gently pull or scrape the fiberous/fuzzy thistle part out and discard. The remaining heart is the treasure of the artichoke! Making all the "work" eating the leaves seem worthwhile.

But I like the leaves, too.

Occasionally, especially if serving these to guests, I do the removal of the unedible parts ahead of time in the kitchen as follows:

I cook the artichokes as above, allow them to cool, then remove the very centers and the thistle portion (carefully & thoroughly with a spoon), leaving the exterior leaves and heart in tact. It makes a nice presentation as it still looks just like a whole artichoke, only the inedible parts have been removed. Just before serving you can fill the cavity with the dipping sauce, or pass it at the table.

That way no one has to deal with the slightly messy aspect of getting rid of the centers and thistle portion at the table.

Question ~

Do you like artichokes?
If you do, how do you like them prepared?