ALL ABOUT ARTICHOKES

I just turned on, what else but the Food Network to Ina Garten making roasted artichokes and it reminded me to blog about artichokes as an ingredient! I am in Florida for the week, and a typical dish down here found at a ton of the restaurants is a whole artichoke (hot or cold) served with warm melted butter or a dijonaise sauce. It is truly one of my favourite things to eat down here, and it is one of the only places I do - making it extra special!

The artichoke has many names and is called the globe artichoke, French artichoke and green artichoke, deriving from the northern Italian word articiocco.  The artichoke is a perennial in the thistle group of the sunflower family and is native to the Mediterranean. The edible artichoke is actually the plant's flower bud. The vegetable is available 12 months a year, but their peak seasons are fall and spring. Incredibly - there are 140 artichoke varieties worldwide, but only 40 are grown commercially. Most artichokes grown today are cultivated in France, Italy, Spain, and California.

Here are two ways for making artichoke. The first, how to cook an artichoke which you would then eat hot and dip in butter or a dijon/mayo mix. The second is Martha Stewart's easy Artichoke dip.

What's your favourite way to eat artichoke? It is certainly not an ingredient you see all the time!

How to Cook an Artichoke
1. If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the leaves. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.
2. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke.

3. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem.
4. Cut excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. Alternatively you can cut off the stems and peel the outside layers which is more fibrous and bitter and cook the stems along with the artichokes.
5. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water.
 6. In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Note: artichokes can also be cooked in a pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes cooking time). Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook.

Martha Stewart's Artichoke Dip

Ingredients: Serves 8
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 1 scallion, minced, plus more for garnish
- Crudites (such as raw pepper wedges) or whole-wheat pita chips, for serving

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 425. In a food processor, place half the artichokes, the mayonnaise, cup Parmesan, lemon juice, and garlic. Process until smooth. 

- Add scallion and remaining artichokes; pulse once to combine. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining tablespoon Parmesan. 

- Bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with scallion, and serve with crudites or pita chips.

photo credit: California Artichoke Advisory Board