Artichokes and how to prepare them

[MypinchofItaly]

As much as I love eating artichokes, I can't stand preparing them. It's such a hassle, especially when I don't clean them properly and a bit of the hairy bit is left inside.

 

[SoCalZone10]

This is why I just make tea out of my chokes except I started to get a bit of itchiness from drinking the tea, they are thistle, maybe I’m allergic to thistle. My garden is no spray, organic, so I think it’s safe to drink the tea.

 

[Z-Cook]

They're good dipped in butter or garlic butter too.

Also good with aioli/garlic mayonnaise

 

[TastyReuben]

Thanks for your explanation, Morning Glory - that’s what I was trying to do, start with a huge globe artichoke and end up with those little almost flaky artichoke hearts one finds in jars. I didn’t know they came from small artichokes.

 

[Barriehie]

It's in the middle!

I'll get one and take pics.

TastyReuben Wally World didn't have any fresh ones!

 

[TastyReuben]

No problem, Barriehie - I think I need the small ones anyway. I’m assuming they carry only the big ones.

 

[Morning Glory]

No problem, Barriehie - I think I need the small ones anyway. I’m assuming they carry only the big ones.

The big ones are actually much nicer in my opinion - more meat on them.

 

[SoCalZone10]

Thanks for your explanation, Morning Glory - that’s what I was trying to do, start with a huge globe artichoke and end up with those little almost flaky artichoke hearts one finds in jars. I didn’t know they came from small artichokes.

Me neither.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I used to be able to get the small ones from the Chacao market - Caracas' equivalent of La Boqueria in Barcelona and Borough Market in London. No choke, so they were far easier to prepare and cook.
My favourite recipe was carciofi alla romana. Peel off the (few) leaves, peel the stem , which is tender, then poach them in a mixture of olive oil, herbs and a little vegetable stock. They never lasted more than about 5 minutes.

 

[blades]

I cook them in boiling water, prepare a hollandaise sauce and serve them. We pick off the leaves, dip them in the sauce an take the "meat" from the bottom of the leaves with our teeth. When we get down to the heart we remove the "hairy" tissue from the top of the heart, quarter it and dip the quarters in the hollandaise. It is really good. Fussy to make and eat but worth it. SatNav's post above describes how we enjoy the chokes. As I have said before, the developer of hollandaise sauce deserves sainthood.