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| Preparing an artichoke for cooking |
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| 1. Using a serrated knife, slice the stalk off, as close to
the base of the artichoke as possible. |
| 2. Saw the top of the artichoke off, about 1/4 of the way
down. |
| 3. Remove a few of the outermost leaves - they're too chewy
to eat, unless you have a super fresh artichoke. |
| 4. With a pair of scissors, trim all the prickly tops off
the leaves. |
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| Cooking an artichoke |
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| 1. Place artichokes in a pot covered with cold water. |
| 2. Squeeze a piece of lemon into the water (or 1 Tbsp of
vinegar in the absence of lemon) |
| 3. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-40 min, depending
of the size and density of your artichokes. |
| 4. Check for doneness by sticking a fork in the bottom
(where the stalk was) of the artichoke. When it's ready to eat,
there should be little resistance. |
| 5. Remove from water and drain on a kitchen towel for about
5 minutes. Cover with another towel to keep the artichokes hot.
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| Eating an artichoke |
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| 1. Gently pull the leaves off the artichoke. |
| 2. Dip the leaf into your buttery sauce - we used Beurre
Rouge on this day, Hollandaise is more traditional,
but just plain old melted, salted butter will do nicely. |
| 3. Put the bottom of the leaf in your mouth and using your
teeth pull the tender flesh off the bottom of the leaf. Discard
the rest of the leaf |
| 4. Once you get to the prickly centre of the artichoke, grab
the remaining leaves by their top and pull them off the base of
the artichoke. This will reveal the bottom of the artichoke,
which will be covered in spores. |
| 5. Using a spoon, gently scrape the spores off the bottom
and discard. |
| 6. Once the bottom is clean, pour a little of your buttery
sauce on top and eat the bottom. |
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