Do you love eating artichokes, but only get them when you go out to eat, if they're served on the menu? Do you do this because you do not know how to cook and prepare them yourself? Do you like artichokes, but simply don't know how to eat them properly? If you have said yes to any one of those questions this article is for you because it will tell you how to prepare, cook, and eat an artichoke properly.

When buying and artichoke you need to make sure the artichoke is fully green and has no brown or rotten spots on it. You also want to make sure it smells fresh and not like a rotten egg or fish because some times when the artichoke smells like that it means they have gone bad. Another thing you want to do is make sure they are slightly firm and have all there leaves.

Now to prepare an artichoke the first thing you want to do is wash it with a baking soda and water combination to remove any pesticides, chemicals, and dangerous bacteria. Then drain all the liquid from it afterwords. To cut your artichoke properly you will need to take the head of your artichoke and pull back and off all the green leaves until you are only left will the yellow soft center leaves. After you will then take your artichoke and slice off the long woody steam with a sharp paring knife. Once you have cut off the stem of the artichoke, you can take the part with all the yellow leaves on it and cut it in half and remove any other green hard or hairy parts from it. Then you can separate the yellow leaves and eat them as is with a yummy dip.

Now if you would like to cook your artichokes leaves the best ways to do that are by steaming them, grilling them, and broiling them in an oven for about 5 minutes. I wouldn't recommend boiling them because they will lose all their nutrients and become watery and mushy. Then once you cook the artichoke, serve it with some squeezed lemon or lime juice with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to add some awesome flavor.

If you're looking to make an artichoke dip, just take the yellow leave and place them into a food processor and crush them, add some sour cream, salt and pepper, and the juice of a lemon. This dip will go great with crackers, veggies, and chips. You could also use the dip as a sauce over mash potatoes or meats and believe me it really taste great.

So, now you don't have to go out to eat to get your favorite artichoke dish. You now know how to prepare and cook your artichoke properly to eat and enjoy without having to go out. If you need a visual on how to prepare an artichoke check out the link attached to my article. It's awesome!

Sources:

http://www.ehow.com/how_231033 9_cook-artichokes.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_222145 2_choose-artichoke-cooking.htm l
http://www.taunton.com/finecoo king/articles/preparing-artich oke-bottoms.aspx

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