by Megan Stoddard

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 07, 2009

The artichoke has been aptly described as being the size of a man's fist. Just as fists range in size, small artichokes are the size of small adult fists, and the biggest match the fists of a man with very big hands. A tasty and unusually filling vegetable, this large thistle bud makes a good complement to relatively heavy main dishes, such as lasagna or quiche, to lighter meals such as vegetable or chicken pilaf, and to many casseroles. It can also be an appetizer for a multi course meal.

If you are not familiar with artichokes, you may well feel at a loss as to how to prepare and cook them, and at an even greater loss as to how to eat them. It is much simpler than it seems.

To prepare an artichoke:

1. Wash the artichoke. Pat dry.

2. Cut the pointed ends off each leaf with a good pair of scissors. Kitchen or garden scissors work the best, but paper scissors will do in a pinch. If you do not do this, you will repeatedly prick yourself with the leaf points when you eat the artichoke.

3. Using a knife, cut off the top of the artichoke, where the leaves come to a peak. Cut off the stem. If you are preparing multiple artichokes, repeat the process with each one.

4. Put the artichokes in a pot that is just a little taller than they are and wide enough for each one to rest on the bottom. Add water. The water should be about two or three inches (5 - 8 cm) deep, just covering the base of each artichoke. If it covers the top of the lowest layer of leaves, it's too much. If you have a steamer basket that sits directly in or just above the water, you can put the artichokes in that.

5. Bring to a rolling boil, then turn it down as low as it will go and continue to boil. Cook until the artichokes are so soft that the bottom leaves fall off when you pick them up with tongs. Usually, this takes about 25 - 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes and on how many there are. If they take an especially long time to cook, check periodically to make sure that there is still enough water.

To eat the artichoke:

1. Peel each leaf off one by one. There will be a bit of the artichoke heart, the meaty part, at the lower end of the leaf. Eat that and discard the rest. It is especially tasty if you dip it in lemon juice, salad dressing, or melted butter. Some people like mayonnaise as an artichoke dip. Veganaise, made from tofu, is an egg free and lower calorie version of mayonnaise, also good with artichokes.

2. As you eat your way down towards the heart of the artichoke, the leaves will get smaller and thinner, with much less artichoke heart on them. The thinnest leaves cover a pile of stringy fuzz, which in turn covers the artichoke heart. The fuzz is inedible. Scrape it out of the heart, along with the last of the leaves, and discard. Cut the heart into bite size pieces, dip, and eat.

Note: If you are serving artichokes for dinner, put a large bowl in the middle of the table, for people to put their leaves in. Eating artichokes makes too much of a mess to confine to individual plates.

Artichokes may also be stuffed. The Internet is full of stuffed artichoke recipes. Generally, you make stuffed artichokes by steaming them for about 15 - 20 minutes, placing the stuffing (typically herbs, often with cheese and/or breadcrumbs) in between the leaves, and cooking the artichokes again for about 35 - 45 minutes. This eliminates the need for a dip, but it makes the artichokes even messier to eat.

No one should have to go through life without trying artichokes at least once. Knowing how to prepare and cook them allows you and your loved ones to take part in this great pleasure.

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