Artichokes: Selecting

Selecting: Although most plentiful during the spring months, Globe artichokes are available year-round. Look for compact green artichokes with tightly closed leaves. You can store them, unwashed, in your refrigerator for several days.

Preparing: Wash, trim stems, and remove loose outer leaves. Cutt off 1 inch of tops; snip off sharp leave tips. Brush cut with lemon juice.

Cooking: In large covered kettle simmer in boiling salt water till a leaf pulls out easily or the stem is soft when poked with a fork. (30-45min) Drain upside down.

Serving: Offer cooked whole artichokes, hot or cold, with a favorite sauce. To eat pull off a leaf and dip the base of the leaf in the sauce. Draw through teeth, eating only the tender flesh. Discard rest of leaf. Continue till a cone of young leaves appear. Pull away the cone, eating the little bit of soft flesh, then scoop out and discard the fuzzy “choke”. Eat the remaining heart with a fork, dipping each piece in sauce.

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