What is the best way to prepare and cook artichokes? Any recipes would
be a great help!
Thanks,
Jane
www.embracingwomenshealth.com

archergirl wrote:
> What is the best way to prepare and cook artichokes? Any recipes would
> be a great help!
> Thanks,
> Jane
> www.embracingwomenshealth.com

Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem so it
will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke choke with a
sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the sharp points off the
other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and use a spoon to scrape out
the fuzzy "choke". Add a little lemon juice to the pot with the water and
bring it to a boil. Add the steamer basket and place the artichoke(s) in
it. Reduce the heat so it won't boil over, cover the pot and steam them
about 15 minutes or until the leaves can be easily plucked off. Then you
serve them with melted butter or a lemon-butter. Pull off the leaves,
starting from the bottom; dip in the butter and scrape the "meat" off the
leaf with your front teeth. Work your way up and you'll have a lovely
artichoke heart. Cut into pieces and dip in butter and YUM

Jill

That sounds good - I''m going to try that.. thanks so much Jill!
Jane
www.embracingwomenshealth.com

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 09:37:32 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>archergirl wrote:
>> What is the best way to prepare and cook artichokes? Any recipes would
>> be a great help!
>> Thanks,
>> Jane
>> www.embracingwomenshealth.com
>
>Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem so it
>will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke choke with a
>sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the sharp points off the
>other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and use a spoon to scrape out
>the fuzzy "choke". Add a little lemon juice to the pot with the water and
>bring it to a boil. Add the steamer basket and place the artichoke(s) in
>it. Reduce the heat so it won't boil over, cover the pot and steam them
>about 15 minutes or until the leaves can be easily plucked off. Then you
>serve them with melted butter or a lemon-butter. Pull off the leaves,
>starting from the bottom; dip in the butter and scrape the "meat" off the
>leaf with your front teeth. Work your way up and you'll have a lovely
>artichoke heart. Cut into pieces and dip in butter and YUM
>
>Jill
>

My favorite way to is to prepare the artichoke the way Jill does
except I don't bother removing the fuzzy center .Then I steam
mine in the microwave.

I than I spread the leaves and fill them with a mixture of olive oil
and seasoned Italian bread crumbs. Then I place them in the broiler
just to brown them somewhat.
I eat them the same way as Jill does. The fuzzy center of the
artichoke will pull off easily. Then I enjoy the heart.

Jerry

One time on Usenet, "jmcquown" > said:
> archergirl wrote:

> > What is the best way to prepare and cook artichokes? Any recipes would
> > be a great help!

> Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem so it
> will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke choke with a
> sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the sharp points off the
> other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and use a spoon to scrape out
> the fuzzy "choke". Add a little lemon juice to the pot with the water and
> bring it to a boil. Add the steamer basket and place the artichoke(s) in
> it. Reduce the heat so it won't boil over, cover the pot and steam them
> about 15 minutes or until the leaves can be easily plucked off. Then you
> serve them with melted butter or a lemon-butter. Pull off the leaves,
> starting from the bottom; dip in the butter and scrape the "meat" off the
> leaf with your front teeth. Work your way up and you'll have a lovely
> artichoke heart. Cut into pieces and dip in butter and YUM

What Jill said, except that I dip mine in mayonaisse seasoned
with garlic and (occasionally) chili powder...

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

http://www.artichokes.org/recipes.html

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 22:25:00 GMT, (Gal
Called J.J.) wrote:

>One time on Usenet, "jmcquown" > said:
>> archergirl wrote:
>
>> > What is the best way to prepare and cook artichokes? Any recipes would
>> > be a great help!
>
>> Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem so it
>> will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke choke with a
>> sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the sharp points off the
>> other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and use a spoon to scrape out
>> the fuzzy "choke". Add a little lemon juice to the pot with the water and
>> bring it to a boil. Add the steamer basket and place the artichoke(s) in
>> it. Reduce the heat so it won't boil over, cover the pot and steam them
>> about 15 minutes or until the leaves can be easily plucked off. Then you
>> serve them with melted butter or a lemon-butter. Pull off the leaves,
>> starting from the bottom; dip in the butter and scrape the "meat" off the
>> leaf with your front teeth. Work your way up and you'll have a lovely
>> artichoke heart. Cut into pieces and dip in butter and YUM
>
>What Jill said, except that I dip mine in mayonaisse seasoned
>with garlic and (occasionally) chili powder...

That works. I like to spike the mayo with garlic, lemon juice, and
Bufalo chipotle sauce.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

One time on Usenet, Michael Odom > said:
> On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 22:25:00 GMT, (Gal
> Called J.J.) wrote:
> >One time on Usenet, "jmcquown" > said:

<snip instructions>

> >> Then you
> >> serve them with melted butter or a lemon-butter. Pull off the leaves,
> >> starting from the bottom; dip in the butter and scrape the "meat" off the
> >> leaf with your front teeth. Work your way up and you'll have a lovely
> >> artichoke heart. Cut into pieces and dip in butter and YUM
> >
> >What Jill said, except that I dip mine in mayonaisse seasoned
> >with garlic and (occasionally) chili powder...
>
> That works. I like to spike the mayo with garlic, lemon juice, and
> Bufalo chipotle sauce.

Ooooooh, that sounds good! Too bad I'm the only person in my house who
eats the darn things. Oh well, more for me (not that I need it)... ;-)

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

yes steamed is the way to go...in my family we always served with
little dishes of olive oil and red wine vinegar though. salt & pepper
to taste

> I than I spread the leaves and fill them with a mixture of olive oil
> and seasoned Italian bread crumbs. Then I place them in the broiler
> just to brown them somewhat.
> I eat them the same way as Jill does. The fuzzy center of the
> artichoke will pull off easily. Then I enjoy the heart.
>
> Jerry

I add some parm to the bread crumbs. Love that stuffed artichoke.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
>> I than I spread the leaves and fill them with a mixture of olive oil
>> and seasoned Italian bread crumbs. Then I place them in the broiler
>> just to brown them somewhat.
>> I eat them the same way as Jill does. The fuzzy center of the
>> artichoke will pull off easily. Then I enjoy the heart.
>>
>> Jerry
>
> I add some parm to the bread crumbs. Love that stuffed artichoke.
>
> nancy

Try adding some of those tiny (fully cooked) salad shrimp to the
"stuffing" - oh yum!

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in
:

> Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem
> so it will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke
> choke with a sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the
> sharp points off the other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and
> use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy "choke".

Seems like a lot of work. I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
toss stem and choke in the pot with barbs up, and steam for an hour. A
knife should go into the bottom easily when done, almost like butter.

I then pull leaves off from the outside working in, stripping the meat from
each leaf root with my teeth. (I like mayo for dipping but everyone has
their favorite.) Work inward until the leaves are too flimsy to handle,
then grab the entire remaining cone and lift up to reveal the heart.
Squeeze the cone flat, removing any really loose leaves from inside, and
nibble the meat off the wide end of the cone. Scoop the fuzz out of the
exposed heart with a spoon leaving as much meat as possible, and enjoy. The
stem is almost as good as the heart.

One just has to be careful not to get poked by the thorn at the top of each
leaf. But that's not difficult. The only value I see in chopping the top
off the choke beforehand is if your pot isn't tall enough to contain it
with the lid on.

"ScratchMonkey" > wrote in message
. ..
> "jmcquown" > wrote in
> :
>
>> Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the stem
>> so it will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the artichoke
>> choke with a sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the
>> sharp points off the other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and
>> use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy "choke".
>
> Seems like a lot of work. I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
> toss stem and choke in the pot with barbs up, and steam for an hour. A
> knife should go into the bottom easily when done, almost like butter.
>
> I then pull leaves off from the outside working in, stripping the meat
> from
> each leaf root with my teeth. (I like mayo for dipping but everyone has
> their favorite.) Work inward until the leaves are too flimsy to handle,
> then grab the entire remaining cone and lift up to reveal the heart.
> Squeeze the cone flat, removing any really loose leaves from inside, and
> nibble the meat off the wide end of the cone. Scoop the fuzz out of the
> exposed heart with a spoon leaving as much meat as possible, and enjoy.
> The
> stem is almost as good as the heart.
>
> One just has to be careful not to get poked by the thorn at the top of
> each
> leaf. But that's not difficult. The only value I see in chopping the top
> off the choke beforehand is if your pot isn't tall enough to contain it
> with the lid on.

What a beautifully clear description

Thank you

Ophelia

ScratchMonkey wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in
> :
>
>> Steamed is my fav. Pluck off the tiny bottom leaves and trim the
>> stem so it will sit evening in a pan. Trim off the top of the
>> artichoke choke with a sharp kitchen knife. Use kitchen shears to
>> trim the
>> sharp points off the other leaves. Gently spread open the leaves and
>> use a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy "choke".
>
> Seems like a lot of work. I just chop off the stem even with the
> bottom, toss stem and choke in the pot with barbs up, and steam for
> an hour. A knife should go into the bottom easily when done, almost
> like butter.
>
> One just has to be careful not to get poked by the thorn at the top
> of each leaf. But that's not difficult. The only value I see in
> chopping the top off the choke beforehand is if your pot isn't tall
> enough to contain it with the lid on.

The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you don't
care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my family I don't
want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke because I didn't bother.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...

> The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you don't
> care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my family I don't
> want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke because I didn't
> bother.

I was taught how to make artichokes by my ex mil. She snipped the tips of
the leave, those little barbs really hurt. But she didn't take out the
choke.
Okay by me, I don't take it out either, I just scrape it off the heart when
I
get that far eating it.

I'm getting a craving, are they coming into season soon? I know they are
big at Easter with Italians.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you
>> don't care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my
>> family I don't want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke
>> because I didn't bother.
>
> I was taught how to make artichokes by my ex mil. She snipped the
> tips of the leave, those little barbs really hurt. But she didn't
> take out the choke.
> Okay by me, I don't take it out either, I just scrape it off the
> heart when I
> get that far eating it.
>
> I'm getting a craving, are they coming into season soon? I know they
> are big at Easter with Italians.
>
> nancy

I dunno - I see them at the grocery stores now but they are shipped in from
California and Arizona.

I saw a method once for those "baby" artichokes on a PBS cooking show. I
gathered the "baby" ones don't have the sharp points on the leaves. She
didn't even trim them. An Italian woman (guest on the show who didn't speak
much English) dredged them in an egg wash then in coarse (kosher?) salt and
breadcrumbs then pan fried them in oil. They looked GREAT! I'll have to
try that sometime when I see baby artichokes again. Come to think of it,
this was Jewish Cooking with Joan Nathan.

Jill

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 21:34:20 -0500, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>
>> I than I spread the leaves and fill them with a mixture of olive oil
>> and seasoned Italian bread crumbs. Then I place them in the broiler
>> just to brown them somewhat.
>> I eat them the same way as Jill does. The fuzzy center of the
>> artichoke will pull off easily. Then I enjoy the heart.
>>
>> Jerry
>
>I add some parm to the bread crumbs. Love that stuffed artichoke.
>
>nancy
>
I forgot to mention that I do too.
Jerry

"jmcquown" > wrote in
:

> The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you
> don't care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my
> family I don't want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke
> because I didn't bother.

Scraping out the fuzz is just part of the process of eating it. If I
started doing that, then next they'd want me to chew for them! LOL

If I was making chokes for a party, then I'd go to more work. But if I'm
making them for me and the roommates, I just cook and serve them as-is and
bag the extras in a ziplock for lunch the next day.

ScratchMonkey > wrote in
:

> I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
> toss stem

But... but... but... the stem once you scrape the outer skin takes as good
as the heart!

Andy

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 04:49:06 -0600, Andy >
wrote:

> ScratchMonkey > wrote in
> :
>
> > I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
> > toss stem
>
> But... but... but... the stem once you scrape the outer skin takes as good
> as the heart!
>
It's only slightly more stringy, but still no reason to chop
it off.

sf

On Tue, 1 Feb 2005, sf wrote:

> On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 04:49:06 -0600, Andy >
> wrote:
>
> > ScratchMonkey > wrote in
> > :
> >
> > > I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
> > > toss stem
> >
> > But... but... but... the stem once you scrape the outer skin takes as good
> > as the heart!
> >
> It's only slightly more stringy, but still no reason to chop
> it off.

Oooo, the stem is the best part!

MK

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 09:54:09 -0500, Michael L Kankiewicz
> wrote:

> On Tue, 1 Feb 2005, sf wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 04:49:06 -0600, Andy >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > ScratchMonkey > wrote in
> > > :
> > >
> > > > I just chop off the stem even with the bottom,
> > > > toss stem
> > >
> > > But... but... but... the stem once you scrape the outer skin takes as good
> > > as the heart!
> > >
> > It's only slightly more stringy, but still no reason to chop
> > it off.
>
> Oooo, the stem is the best part!
>
Obviously you don't eat many artichokes. The heart is the
best part, but the stem is close.

sf

In article >,
Nancy Young > wrote:
>
>"jmcquown" > wrote in message
.. .
>
>> The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you don't
>> care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my family I don't
>> want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke because I didn't
>> bother.
>
>I was taught how to make artichokes by my ex mil. She snipped the tips of
>the leave, those little barbs really hurt. But she didn't take out the
>choke.
>Okay by me, I don't take it out either, I just scrape it off the heart when
>I get that far eating it.

That is exactly how my mom prepares them.

For just one, I'll wrap it in plastic and steam it in the microwave.

My family historically divided between "eats butter with" and "eats mayo
with". I am one of the butter eaters, but aioli is pretty good. As is a
nice viniagrette.

>I'm getting a craving, are they coming into season soon? I know they are
>big at Easter with Italians.

The leetle baby ones are in our farmer's market here in Artichoke Heaven
even now. The bigger ones should be in a little later. Certainly in time
for Easter, which is prime choke-eatin' time.

Artichokes are very dramatic plants; when the choke isn't harvested, it
turns into this gorgeous electric-blue flower.

Charlotte (not Italian, but I am from California)
--

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 05:09:27 +0000 (UTC),
(Charlotte L. Blackmer) wrote:

> In article >,
> Nancy Young > wrote:
> >
> >"jmcquown" > wrote in message
> .. .
> >
> >> The other reason is called "presentation". But then again maybe you don't
> >> care how your food looks. If I'm serving artichokes to my family I don't
> >> want to say oh, you'll have to scrape out the choke because I didn't
> >> bother.

Which is a thought pattern mainly exhibited by people who
back out the door vacuuming.
> >
> >I was taught how to make artichokes by my ex mil. She snipped the tips of
> >the leave, those little barbs really hurt. But she didn't take out the
> >choke.
> >Okay by me, I don't take it out either, I just scrape it off the heart when
> >I get that far eating it.

That's exactly what I do too. People who scrape the choke
out first:
1. Begin with artichokes that we'd throw back w/o a second
thought because they are too open.
2. They are also taking out the finest eating leaves just
above the choke.
>
> That is exactly how my mom prepares them.
>
> For just one, I'll wrap it in plastic and steam it in the microwave.
>
> My family historically divided between "eats butter with" and "eats mayo
> with". I am one of the butter eaters, but aioli is pretty good. As is a
> nice viniagrette.
>
> >I'm getting a craving, are they coming into season soon?

Huge artichokes are in the green market right now. Not
cheap, but an ok price for one or two people.

Hmmm. I think I'll get one for an appetiser tonight...
aioli sounds like a great dip. Just saw my first spring
asparagus a couple of days ago too, so I'll get some too and
put that aioli to good use!

sf