Choke it.

Artichokes have drawn my blood more than a few times. I can’t think of a more intimidating vegetable. Still, they are delicious, and they’re not that tough once you get used to them. Here are a few tips to get you going.

First, a note on choosing your chokes.

The artichoke shown is not a choice specimen.
Too many of the lower tier leaves are open. In a great artichoke, all or most of the leaves are tight. Older artichokes have fewer edible leaves. I suppose this might not matter if you’re trimming it down to the heart, but given the choice, I would still pick the younger, tighter artichoke.

How to trim: the rough cut.

Cut a lemon in half and keep it handy. For some recipes, you may need a big bowl of cold water into which you have squeezed a half lemon.

Slice off the stem. Rub lemon on the stump to keep it from browning. If you like, you can peel away the fibrous outer layer of the stem and save the pale core. Not a lot of meat there, but it is tasty.

Break off and discard the lower leaves. I discard two or three ‘rungs’ of leaves depending on the artichoke’s freshness. Fresher the choke, the fewer the wasted leaves.

With a heavy cleaver, cut off the top half (approximately) of the artichoke. This is not easy. Ideally, though, you’ll cut down far enough so that you can see the furry center bits (the actual “choke”). For boiled artichokes, you don’t need to cut quite so low — the upper third is good enough.

Rub lemon over the cut surfaces. This artichoke is ready for boiling! This leaves the chore of trimming out the choke to the diners, but if you’re cooking for family, they’ll live.

Boiled Artichokes (easy)

Put the trimmed artichokes stem-down into a pot. Add water — the water level should be about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the artichoke. Coarsely chop a whole yellow onion, skin and all, and add it to the pot. Add a clove or two of garlic (peeled and lightly crushed), several grindings of ground black pepper, a teaspoon of salt (I don’t measure it, to be honest), the half lemon you used earlier (squeeze the juice over the artichokes, and throw the whole thing into the pot), and at least a teaspoon of marjoram. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until a fork easily pierces the stem (usually, at least 30 minutes). Invert each artichoke on a slotted spoon to drain. Serve with homemade mayonnaise.

Braised Artichokes (intermediate)

This is from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen. I made it the other night, and Karen and I loved it. Jake objected to the wine. For a kid-friendly version, I would probably substitute chicken stock for the wine, and add a squeeze of lemon juice.

I cut all of these proportions in half:

4 large artichokes
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound of pancetta, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup dry white wine

Trim the artichokes as thoroughly as you want (see link, below). Unlike Carciofi alla Judea, you don’t need to get rid of all the inedible bits, but you definitely need to get rid of the choke. Cut into wedges no more than 1 inch broad at their widest point. Put the pieces into acidulated water (a bowl of cold water with the juice of 1/2 lemon).

Put the oil into a saute pan and fry the pancetta over medium heat until it is browned but not crisp. Meanwhile, dry the artichokes on a paper towel and add them to the saute pan when the pancetta is brown. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir, turning the artichokes over and over to mix well with the oil and pancetta. Add the wine. Allow it to bubble for one minute, then turn the heat down so that the wine simmers. Cover the pan. Cook until the artichokes are tender when pricked with a fork, about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn heat up if necessary to boil away any excess fluid.

Carciofi alla Judea (Jewish Artichokes — hard!)

There’s a great little fast food joint inland from Pescadero Beach, California, that does a delicious deep fried artichoke. That’s all Carciofi alla Judea is.

The toughest part of this recipe is the trimming. You need to pare away all the inedible bits and that’s not easy. Here’s a good blow-by-blow description of the process, with pictures.

Quarter the artichokes, or slice them into even smaller portions, if you prefer. Season with salt and pepper. Although it’s not traditional, I like to dust with flour. Deep fry until golden brown. (For the classic version of this dish, deep fry in olive oil.) Taste a piece, and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges or homemade mayonnaise.

Some time soon, I’ll post an easy recipe for homemade mayonaise. TTFN!

D.