by Anne StClair

Created on: December 02, 2010

The globe artichoke is a perennial relative of the thistle and the cardoon, and probably originated in the Mediterranean or in the Maghreb region of North Africa, and now grows anywhere with a reasonably similar climate. It is a big plant, growing up to two metres tall, but its broad silvery leaves make it a spectacular plant for the garden, if you have the space. The buds or globes, which are up to 15 centimetres long, appear in spring and early summer and are edible — or at least the heart and lower parts of the leaves are.

The hearts are often available canned or preserved in oil, but if you can get globes fresh (or better still grow them yourself), you will be rewarded. Commercially, globe artichokes are grown in France, Spain, Italy, in Monterey County in California in the US, and scattered market gardens elsewhere.

Cooking Globe Artichokes

To cook a fresh globe artichoke, chop off the stem close to the base, and boil the whole bud in salted water (or stock) in an uncovered pan for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size. You can also steam the globe if you prefer. You will need to cut off the top half of the leaves, which are tough, but you can do this just as easily after cooking.

Next, prepare a marinade, which can be as simple as lemon juice and olive oil, and place the trimmed artichokes in the marinade for at least half an hour before serving.

Eating Globe Artichokes

Globe artichokes can be eaten as an ‘adventure vegetable’, served separately as an entrée. Peel off the leaves one by one and dunk the soft part of the bottom into a sauce such as hollandaise, yoghurt, softened butter, mayonnaise (preferably home-made), or just lemon juice, and then eat the soft part. If any part is tough, simply discard it, and you may need to discard the furry ‘choke’ at the centre, but this is usually only necessary in old or extremely large globes. You can also eat the interior of the stems, but the exterior of the stems is tough and inedible.

Another way to eat globe artichokes is to trim them down to the heart before you place them in the marinade, and then serve them as a regular vegetable with a meal. You can also preserve the hearts in olive oil and then use them later as a vegetable, or even toss them on a barbecue.

Drinking Globe Artichokes!

Artichokes can also be used as a herbal tea, and form the basis of the Italian liqueur Cynar, named after the active chemical constituent cynarin, which increases the flow of bile.

The globe artichoke is a good source of fibre, the B vitamins including folate (B9), and there are useful amounts of vitamin C (mostly destroyed during the cooking), magnesium, iron, potassium and phosphorus.

Globe artichokes also simulate the production of bile, and therefore help the functions of the liver and gall bladder. They also reduce cholesterol levels and increase the ratio of HDL to the LDL form of cholesterol. Try one today!

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