Thank you thank you thank you! I used to eat these when I was a kid and haven't had one for years. I just bought one and you told me exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!

Thank you very much for the info. This will be my very first time preparing and eating an artichoke. I always avoided buying them because I thought it would be too much trouble to prepare them and it does not seem impossible at all. I thought the sauce had to be some very fancy sauce that only the best chefs could do. So once again, thank you! I will try my best to prepare my artichokes.

wow i've only had an artichoke once in my life when i was a little kid at a friend's house, and i remember liking it, but i never had once since then! i've been thinking about artichokes ever since! so i just bought one, just one, the other day cause theyre kind of expensive and yes, intimidating, and i had no clue what to do with it but now you've cleared everything up! very helpful, thanks!

Mine are steaming right now! Thanks for the extremely helpful info. I visited a few other sites previously, none of which helped. Like the others, I first had an artichoke at a friend's and really enjoyed it. It's been over ten years, and it's fun to try it again. Thanks.

Dip suggestion! My father always used to make a variety of dips, but the favorite BY FAR was always garlic butter.

Soften butter (but don't melt it) and mix in some garlic salt to taste. A hot artichoke leaf will melt it just a little when you scoop the butter onto it, and it's just perfect.

I've taken to mashing roasted garlic into my butter and getting the same taste (but better, of course).

Just wanted to add:

A tasty and absolutely professional sauce for dipping your artichokes can be made in very little time.

I like to make one that is a combination of melted butter and real lemon juice. Adjust the ratio to your own tastes. First melt the butter on lower heat in your microwave and then add lemon juice to taste.

Another is Mayonaise based. I put a few tablespoons of mayo in a bowl and add whatever suits. Usually it's a bit of mustard (Dijon or whole grain) some garlic or garlic powder amd other spices. Sometimes a teaspoon of ketchup makes it in too.

It's really the fat in the mayonaise and butter that seems to make the texture/taste work so many other sauces should also be good.

I have always been intimidated of fresh artichokes and have been forced to use only canned. Thank you so much for these instructions!!! :)

My mom used to make a lovely dip for artichokes which was melted butter into which she'd squeeze anchovy paste from a tube (you could mash in whole anchovies till really pulverized, but the paste is so easy). I think she put a bit of vinegar as well to offset the richness of the butter--pungent and delicious! I'm off to the artichoke store!

Two quick comments...one, as you eat an artichoke, there comes a point of diminishing returns with the petals, where they are very thin and spiky, but not quite "the choke" yet. The eater may choose to pull these off and discard them.

Also, instead of covering the pot while cooking the artichoke, you will avoid some bitterness and also avoid that drab brownish green color if you upturn a vegetable steamer (it's sort of shaped like a flower and usually goes under the vegetables in a pot) and put it over the artichokes, and weight it down with a clean rock or a clean piece of brick, to keep the artichokes submerged. This allows the gasses to escape, and the artichoke will taste better and look better!

Thank you for this beautifully illustrated, clear explanation. I love the step by step photos. It must have cost you a lot of time and effort to put this description together.

This is the way I was brought up to eat artichokes (in France). What about recipes that call for artichoke hearts? I guess that's more Italian in inspiration, are these smaller artichokes, are they prepared differently?

I'm having a Little Rascals flashback...

"Might have choked Artie but it ain't gonna choke Stymie."

I do almost the exact same thing with my artichokes except I never trim the tops. It's the way I was taught by my Aunt Georgia in Santa Rosa when I visited her there as a kid.

And we almost always dip in lemon butter, as if the artichoke was a green leafy lobster.

When I was roommates with Meg from our site, fresh summer corn on the cob and artichokes was a common summer dinner.

Thanks so much Elise! Just like most people commented, I am intimidated with this vegetable and have never tried to prepare them myself. Now, I know how easy it is and will give it a try when I get one from the farmer's market on Saturday. Keep up the good works!

Elna (London, England)

Any suggestions on how to choose an artichoke when I'm in the grocery store?

When we were growing up in Southern California, my mom would trim off some of the base, remove some of the petals around the base but would not cut off parts of each petal. To me, it seems like cutting off parts of the petal removes some of the area to grip the petals when eating.

We eat artichokes as a light dinner or a snack often. My favorite sauce is the butter-and-lemon that one person mentioned, but sometimes I'll use Annie's red wine vinaigrette. My husband loves to make a sauce with mayo, worcestershire sauce, and a super-hot Jamaican hot sauce that he swears by. The other day I discovered a new combination -- artichoke with leftover raita from Indian takeout. Yum.

Best advice I ever heard on artichokes: convince all children in the household that the part under the hairy core is "yucky". Clear away dishes and eat the hearts silently in the kitchen. Bon appetit!

My (Italian) family always stuffs the artichokes. The stuffing is a mixture of bread crumbs, romano cheese, pine nuts, garlic, black pepper, and olive oil. After cutting the artichoke as you've shown, you place this mixture in between as many leaves as practical. We cut the bottom flush and sit the 'choke right in the water for steaming. You eat it the same way, except that rather than dipping you just enjoy the stuffing as you scrape it off along with the meat.

Beautiful photo! And your post brought back a vivid memory - at art school - preparing and eating my first whole artichoke, leaf by leaf, dipping it into a lemony-creamy-mustard sauce [shared with a boyfriend]. I thought it was the epitome of sophistication. ;-) And very sexy. Thanks for the memory.

I usually eat artichokes. Last week I've teached how to eat them to my boyfriend :o)
But I've shown him also your lesson that is very useful!

I come from a large Italian family and have been eating artichokes all my life, but only one way...stuffed! Family generations before me would make a stuffing of mostly Italian breadcrumbs, TONS of garlic (minced, of course), grated parmesan cheese, salt and lots of pepper...oh, and the nectar of the gods - OLIVE OIL...lots lots! Each leaf on the artichoke is stuffed with this delicious mixture, then placed in a large dutch oven to steam. No need for dipping into anything. I like to squirt lemon juice on them just before devouring!!!

Gosh, i always thought fresh artichokes were just not worth the hassle....but as it turns out, they arent much of a hassle!
Just to add, my housemate has a brilliant way of cooking artichoke hearts (tho she uses frozen ones). She fills them with a mixture of minced lamb, cooked with onions, tomatoes and parsley, and then places them in a closed frying pan with about an inch of water or shallow fries them (depending on how fat she's feeling!)....they're delicious!

My favorite Spinach Artichoke recipe (I've had to give this out to anyone who's ever tasted it):

2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
2 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly grease a small baking dish.

IN a seperate bowl mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper.

Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

I altered a couple things. For the Parm and Romano cheeses, I just used a 5 cheese blend that was a lot cheaper than buying the 2 separately and I also used that on top instead of mozzarella. Also, I used a *lot* less than a cup of spinach, I just put a couple forkfuls in there!

Local produce mkt advised best way to pick an artichoke: Pick up the artichoke and give it a gentle squeeze...it will "squeak" if fresh. Pick out a large one with tight leaves. As they "age" and start to dry out, the leaves begin to open. Avoid those if you can. As with all veggies...the fresher the better.

Yummy. I cannot get my boyfriend to eat these. And everyone I ever new got sick when I told them I dip it in mayo. Just a tiny little bit on the end give it that nice tang. Oooh! I know what i want for dinner.
I love the note on how to pick them out. I always just grabbed which ever one had the least amount of brown. And a corn on the cob and artichoke dinner sounds divine and I bet it is surprisingly filling.

Steph, thank you for the dip recipe as well; my friends and I were recently looking for just such a recipe after devouring a small bowl of it at a pub.
Elise, this is a beautiful site. My gmail gives me RSS feeds that links here, so I have a tendency to drool at work between breaks.

mmmm...I love artichokes. We dipped in just a bit of soy sauce.

Squeezing a bit of lemon juice into the water when you steam the artichokes keeps the artichoke the fresh green color (if you do not put lemon juice in the artichoke will darken).

You can eat the whole cooked portion if you cut about 1.5 inches off the tip and (after other steps) cut them in half and scoop out the choke and really tiny inner leaves before cooking. When a leaf pulls off easily, they are done.

After steaming, you can grill them quickly with a little olive oil. Yummy!

Elise
Your piece gave me a springboard to write a 'Bretton's take on artichokes.
http://sergetheconcierge.typepad.com/stc/2006/02/artichokes_how_.html
I grew up on them ans still eat them regularly.

Thanks for the detailed instructions Elise. I've wanted to try cooking artichokes at home and you've made it look so easy, I think I will.

This is in reply to: Posted by: Elna Smith at February 23, 2006 06:21 AM Any suggestions on how to choose an artichoke when I'm in the grocery store?

Elna - the funny thing about choosing an artichoke is that you don't want to go for the pretty ones. Frostbitten artichokes are better than the rest! So when you're shopping look for these qualities in your artichoke:
- Frostbite! The leaves aren't perfect, they may be even flaking a little on discoloured spots
- The leaves aren't tightly closed, but aren't flaying way open either, find a nice middle ground in the selection available
- Size - they come in all sizes, some areas have more variety, but really, the only thing size determines is how much meat you get from each artichoke

that is soooo helpful! i cannot tell you how many restaurants need to read this helpful tutorial on cooking arties. i am always getting the thorns in my gums and cheeks because they don't cut enough off! thanks :) now, how do you fry them?

I like putting my chokes in the microwave.. Just wrap in saran wrap and it's approx 4 min per.
As for dip: mayo, lemon juice and fresh ground pepper. just mix to taste. YUM!!

That's exacly how my mama always used to make 'em for us. They're still a favorite now. I recently tried mixing mayo with garlic salt and it was an excellent twist to plain mayo.

a note on picking chokes: yes, tight big ones are great but even if they're not perfect they still taste wonderful. i havent found a bad choke even when they're at the ends of the season.

I grew up eating artichokes my dad used to grow them in our garden. My favorite dipping sauce is Hollandaise sauce with a little lemon.

My Sicilian grandmother used to stuff like two others have already mentioned, and they were delicious. I just never watched her cook them, so I now know how to do that. Thank you!

I'm obsessed with artichokes, and I eat them like you do, except I'm too lazy to cut the points off, and I dip in either lemon butter, or just lemon. There's an acid in artichokes that makes liquids taste sweet, so when I was a kid, I'd always drink milk after... it was the only time I enjoyed drinking milk. Great post!

I always thought I was a genius for figuring out the bay leaf connection. Let me add this, as a California native--use a fresh leaf from a California Laurel tree if you have on in your vicinity, or at least use a fresh bay leaf. It makes a HUGE difference.

I have a friend whom we introduced to artichokes. He loved them. In fact he was the first one done. When he was through with the leaves he promptly picked up what was left, including the heart and proceded to throw it away. of cource us seasoned artichoke eaters screamed "what are you doing?". We had failed to tell him about the heart. He learned quick, Dave

If I knew I had to cook them for 45 mins I would have never bought "one". All that for one artichoke! lol

Next time, I'll buy more than one.

I just came back from Rome (where I lived for 5 years). Their Artichoke can be cooked and eaten in it's entirety. Of course these Artichokes are only in season during late fall. The tail is the best part. Everything is cooked with the artichokes, Pasta, seafood, meats. The Artichokes are sweeter than ours and the preparation is fairly simple. Usually garlic cloves, olive oil and fresh mint. I was told by a restauranteur in Rome that even our Artichokes can be cooked so that all the meat is easily edible. Mashing it to bits was supposedly the way. I tried it and don't think I was too successful. Even though the taste was good it was still like chewing gum. Maybe I should have steamed it before I mashed it. Any ideas?

Thanks for your help, I'm cooking one right now and your step by step info really helped me.

Thank you so much for taking away a little of the tension about cooking fresh artichokes. When I brought it to the register, the clerk didnt even know what it was!!! Also I saw a lot of recipes for the canned or frozen artichokes, but fresh is always best. I will throw out the artichoke I have already ruined and head over to Whole foods for a fresh one! I thank everyone sharing their ideas. I will try it with a dip first and then graduate to the stuffed artichoke.

These were both my daughter's favorite vegetable growing up ...another quick fix for artichokes is to clean them as stated, except leave the stem on and just peel it some, it's as tasty as the heart... wrap them in plastic wrap and then micro them for about 8-10 minutes, check a leaf to see if it pulls easy ... the wrap keeps the moisture in. We like lemon butter for a dip.

Thanks heaps for the advice. Had an Arti about 25 years ago and it was a nice flavour. Gotta laugh though, we didn't know how to cook it, so we roasted it for about 45 mins in a hot oven. Sooooooo much better the way you guys do it!!! Lol. Not very well known here in Australia. You see a fair few of them around, but, when I ask around, nobody seems to know much about them. Hell, I'm a convert, they're absolutely delicious, and so much better when they're done right. Just finishing off a couple now !!! Thanks a lot and I look forward to trying out the various dips, sauces, stuffings and cooking methods.

Great info on cooking artichokes! I have been eating them since I was four. I tend to cook them longer so that by the middle leaves, it's so tender, you can almost bite the whole leaf right off. Gets a lot more out of each leaf that way. I also do not trim the ends, as it loses some of the grip. Plain melted butter with a little salt for me :)

One thing I found interesting was what you put in the water! I have always used about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to take out some of the bitterness. Never thought of a bay leaf.

Great page!

This is a GREAT Web site! As Shannon wrote I too have been eating artichoke since about age 4 or 5 and we did cook them considerably longer then the 45min. mentioned. We eat every little leaf including the ones covering the choke. When cooked longer the choke will release from the heart with just the back of a spoon and fall off intact. One thing not mentioned was bug's. If after cleaning and cooking you find a few leaves with holes and possibly a small worm like well cooked critter not to worry, as my Dad would say it hasn't eaten any thing different then we are eating just scrape it off and continue enjoying it. We use melted butter for dipping kept warm with one of those candle warmers.
I found this site out of desperation as for the last month we haven't found any ARTICHOKES here in New Mexico and my mouth is watering.

I just had grilled artichokes yesterday that I bought at Whole Foods...halved and offered with lemon aioli. I put two halves on a pretty plate, sitting in front of a sunny window, it was the perfect Sunday lunch.

Thank you so much for the help. I just moved to Italy for a few years and have bought fresh artichokes, but have been ruining them. Thank you so much for the clear explanations and pictures, I now know my family will enjoy them even more!!

I actually ate the whole leaf, thorns and all the first time I had an artichoke...I cringe in embarassment every time I think of it. The people who invited us over never corrected me and my husband was too busy eating to be of any help....and guess what happened that night? Yup, threw up....

My grandmother would make it in a similar fashion. She'd stuff the artichokes though. Usually a mixture of parmesan cheese (little pieces), garlic and some onion. We'd never use dip.

Hummus is another great dip for artichokes.

THANK YOU for such great pics. For people like me who are trying to teach themselves how to cook, your recipes with pictures are GRRR-eat!

Iced artichoke tea anyone? If you're boiling instead of steaming, clean the artichokes well. After the water boils, simmer until the artichokes are done. Add sugar to the leftover stock and chill for a refreshing drink.

Oh my gosh the memories! I adored artichokes as a teen. My family weren't big on them, but I loved them. When I was pregnant, I had a nice garden and grew artichokes too. Heck I grew everything I could for two years(plus side of living in East Bay) Those plants became huge, and the artichokes were great. Big or small, didn't matter, I cut them every other day, and had a nice snack, or simple lunch. Warning two plants can feed 6 if tended well, for many months. Friends and family may become tired of them.

It is even easier and better to do in a microwave oven:

Prepare the artichoke as above but after cleaning, place wet artichoke in a microwave save dish. Add around 2 TBL of lemon juice and/or a couple of tablespoons of vinegar. Feel free to try various flavors (wine, garlic, tarragon, balsamic, etc.). Exact measurements are not important. The idea is to create an acid environment to prevent discoloration and add flavor. You also may wish to add a tablespoon or two of water. Do not immerse or cover the artichoke with water. This is a steaming process. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on a vegetable 'auto cook' setting or around 10 minutes per artichoke, depending on the wattage of the microwave and the number/size of the artichokes. Let rest a couple of minutes, covered and then open up and check for doneness by poking the stem with a toothpick and/or pulling off a bottom leaf. It should be soft but not mushy. If not done, re-cover and cook some more. After a few artichokes you will get the 'hang' of it in respect to your microwave ovens output. I have an 'Auto Cook' on mine and 'Auto Cook 4' works fine for me.

Note: It will probably take you longer to read these instructions than to follow them in preparing the artichoke for microwave cooking. Here is the short form sparing the details:

Place choke in microwave container
Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar
Cover
Cook
Enjoy

I love the lemon butter, but my dad also does a homemade herbed mayo that's delish.

And, I'm sorry, but I must disagree - the best way to eat them is dip side up, scraping the pulp with your top teeth. That way the dip doesn't drip on your shirt. (I also have my suspicions that people who do it dip side down also hang their toilet paper so it feeds from below the roll - totally wrong!) :)

I am from Louisiana and we loved to eat them Stuffed. You stuff them with some italian bread crumbs and some parmasean cheese as well as whatever else you want. I have seen some people actually put fried shrimp and other fried seafood in it. Then you eat it like you have shown and dip it in a olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper mix. YUMMMM!

Awesome... this is making me lust for an artichoke. When I was a kid, my mom would cook artichokes every so once in a while, and our dipping sauce would be mayonnaise. This post has given me the courage to try it again, and upgrade the method and sauce a bit.

When I was in Tunisia we were server artichokes with a simple sauce of about 5 parts olive oil and 1 part mustard. It was amazing!

Growing up, our favorite dip was either hollandaise or bearnaise sauce - YUM!!!!!! I highly recommend trying one of these - you can make them from packaged mixes - they are soooo good and much more indulgent and less greasy than mayo-based dips..

Elise!

I hope you read this. I've been a fan or your website for over a year now and have never posted. I was delighted to see you take on the artichoke. I wonder if you've ever used a pressure cooker?

I know they are out of fashion but they are amazing gadgets. I've found that you can never can the tenderness you get with the pressure cooker from steaming an artichoke.

Recipe:

Wash artichokes.
Place slivers of garlic liberally throughout the leaves.
Place in the bottom of the pressure cooker (preferably on a rack).
Pour olive oil liberally over the top of artichokes.
Add about an inch of water,.
Salt.
Pressure for about 30 minutes.

I just had my first for the season yesterday. I also microwave mine. You follow the same directions, but cook in a microwave safe bowl covered with water, and lemon juice if you like. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high, small/8-10 minutes, large/12-16 minutes. And only Best Foods will do.

Artichoke leaves are delicious, but just a lead up to the creamy rich and delicate artichoke bottom! just got two artichokes and now I have to eat them!

As with lobster and avocados, there are just never enough artichokes. I do mine in the pressure cooker too, and frankly that's about the handiest thing in my kitchen. Love this site, thanks!

Hi to all of you....In Italy the artychokes are a common vegetable to eat..especially on Easter break when we cook them on a BBQ...they are very good also cut in small slices and then fried in a pan with "olive oil"...and please forget the microwave thing!!!cook them in the traditional way it is better! Believe me!

Ciao a tutti!

My mom loves to make soup out of them. Everytime I eat an artichoke, I feel like a kid. It's fun and tasty at the same time.

I trim them up, making sure there is a flat bottom. I then put them in a glass/ceremic dish that will hold 2 of them, with a little water. I sprinkle with some lemon pepper and cover. I then put them in the microwave and cook for about 10 minutes depending on size. Then I eat them with a mayonise garlic mix. YUM. Yum. Yum.

Too funny that you posted this!! I made artichokes last night and although they seem simple to me (I grew up in Palo Alto, Calif. and we ate them as a family), I know not everyone has tried or feels comfortable with artichokes.

Glad you went ahead and posted...your photos are FAR better. :)

I faithfully read your blog - thanks as always for your plentiful and interesting posts.

Kirsten

If you poke the garlic clove down the middle of the artichoke before cooking (pulls apart easily so you can do this), you get an increasingly wonderful garlicky flavor as you eat your way through the artichoke. Try a dip made from olive oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic (yes, more garlic), salt and pepper. If you use more lemon juice than oil, you have the advantage of a more healthful and flavorful dressing than those that are mayo-based.

Thanks so much for this advice. I've never cooked artichokes before but my hubby is a big fan and ate it a lot back at home in Peru. I will put these to good use soon, I'm sure.

Here in Chile artichokes are a really common thing to eat, and I LOOOVE them, specially the "heart". It isn't really hard to eat them, and usually here people eat them with mayo or with a lemon-aceto dressing; I like both of the choices. Artichoke lasagna is pretty awesome too.

I grew up in an Italian-American home, where we ate artichokes all the time, not only on holidays. We usually would have them stuffed with the Italian bread crumbs, garlic, fresh parsley,and grated cheese. Thank you so much for other suggestions and receipes which I will try in the future.

How fun! I saw some artichokes at the store today and bought them on a whim. My mom never made them, but when she went out of town,our fun babysitter always did and I haven't had them since I was a kid. Your directions were so easy. I was very happy to stumble upon them as well. The artichokes are steaming away.. and I can't wait to try them again! Thanks! :)

I just found this entry when looking for directions on how to eat an artichoke for someone who wanted to know. It was perfect!

My question: why turn the leaf upside down? I would think this would only be necessary if you didn't have upper teeth! There is no way I would turn a leaf upside down when eating my grandma's Italian stuffed artichokes because I would never chance having the stuffing fall off!

This recepie is great and easy to follow. For a quick way to cook them I have always just rinsed them under water, trimmed the stem, wraped then in wax paper and microwaved them for 7 min. It is super easy and quick, plus they keep their great flavor. Try it, you might like it.

Grilled artichokes can be wonderful.
After washing, cut artichokes lengthwise. With a small sharp knife remove the choke. If you're careful it can be removed without making a mess.
Steam the halved artichokes for about 30 minutes until tender.
Remove from steamer and place the halves on a plate. Spray olive oil on each half, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place the artichoke halves face down on a preheated grill.
Grill until lightly browned. Enjoy ;)

Great photo-tutorial Elise! My husband ADORES artichokes and we often have them - he prefers vinagrette for a dip whereas I go for super-garlicky butter. Yum. In Rome a couple of weeks ago we had the weirdest artichokes I had ever seen. They were (I guess) cleaned and steamed, then by the looks of it squashed flat in a tortilla press or similar, and then deep-fried. This meant that you discarded nothing - even the toughest outer leaves were crispy and you just ate the whole thing with a kife and fork, savouring the soft and creamy heart. It was amazing and I must remember to post some photos.

Thank you so much, I had no idea how to eat an artichoke. This was great help! Thanks again. =)

You know, I never realized some people didn't know how to eat them! But then again, I grew up in the Central Valley... *sigh*... can't find the same quality in WA state as I did at home. I miss those huge, heavy, thick leaved 'chokes with tightly curled leaf tips. Most of the ones here are thin, or stick straight out, and are small. And expensive!

Thanks for helping out those who weren't blessed when they were kids!

And, I love them with mayo, but I now tend to eat them plain, because they taste wonderful on their own! Low cal, full of fiber, and they take a while to eat, so you tend to get full and eat less other stuff overall!

Thanks for the info on ways of preparing artichokes; but really there is an extremely easy way of doing it. Cut off the base, put a couple ounces of water in a microwaveable bowl, add artichoke, squeeze juice of a lemon over bulb, sprinkle with olive oil, and a dash of oregano. Cook on high heat for 8-9 minutes. Remove, and serve with your choice of dipping sauces.

Wow, it never even occured to me that there was any other way to do an artichoke or that others found it challenging or not worth the hassle! But I guess growing up in So. Cal. it's just something we were raised eating. Your version is exactly how I've been doing it forever. Step by step, including trimming the tips of each leaf! I never tire of the artichoke!

Love your website! Been reading it for a long time. Your recipes are simple, basic, and easy to follow. Thanks!

I am amazed that with all the different types of cooking and eating an artichoke, no one ever mentions cardoons (or cardoonies, as grandma use to call them). The celery type leaves she would take off and cut them in small pieces, boil them until very tender. I am growing some now that I had to order. When tender dip in egg and flour and fry in olive oil. My grandmother was 14 and her husband was 18 when the US used to send boats to Sicily to recruit immigrants. Not like now. She grew everything out of her garden and lived to 102. (Scusie my Italian wording.)

Thank You!!!!!!
Muchas gracias por la informacion, no tenia idea de como prepararla ni como se comia, y gracias a uds. prepare una y me encanto. y a mis ninas tambien.

My favorite dip is half part mayo and half sour cream (I like a bit more sour cream) and lemon juice. Mmmm.

Thank you for this. I wasn't raised eating artichokes, but I love them on pizza, and today I bought some fresh artichokes at the grocery store on a whim. Then I came home and looked at them, and ... well, I looked at them. Now I know what to do, and I'm excited to try it tomorrow for dinner; I'll try steaming them while I cook rice in the rice cooker. Thanks again!

Thanks. I had Artichoke hearts once a while back and decided tonight to get adventurous and buy a couple artichokes. I'm looking forward to preparing and eating them.

I was looking for info on how to cook an artichoke for a friend - this is great with the photos too... I hope you won't mind but I'll add a link to this from my gardening/design blog which I'm writing from Northern Brittany where we live... keep up the good work... Miranda

I am a CA native living in Peru in the Cusco area. I recently purchased some local artichokes and was really excited to try them, as its been a few years since having one, but to my surprise, it took well over 4 hours for the chokes to be ready and even then they were not as soft as I would of liked, but I could not wait any longer. I think presure cooker is the asnwer, to compensate for the altitude.

Just made it for Dinner!! It was Great the garlic gives it a nice touch.

Thank you so much for mentioning the pressure cooker. My mom has been making artichokes like this for years and I always wonder why no one else suggested it.

I don't have a pressure cooker but, as usual, your post explains how to cook an artichoke so easily that I can barely wait to get to the store tomorrow. :)

I was picking my artichokes at the store, when a little lady said "for your dip try this

just "mayo and curry powder mix well" simple she said.
Well I tried it "amazing." my normal dip is lemon & mayo, but this was a tasty change.

I stuff the artichoke with Italian breadcrumbs, pepper, garlic salt and lots of parmesan cheese, mix in blender and stuff drizzle olive oil and shake some pepper. add peppercorns in water.

on the bottom of the artichoke cut a deep x on the bottom before stuffing, cooks the heart better. Then stick of butter 40 second zap makes a great dip for the cheesy crumbs

angus cooney

My mum stuffs them with a mixture of fresh bread crumbs, garlic and tuna fish. You can add capers too if you wish.
She also makes "polpetti" out of them by scraping the leaves (extremely delicious but very time consuming).
Bon Appetite

The dip I grew up with was mayo or melted butter with fresh (or dried) tarragon chopped into it. YUM!

I absolutely love to eat artichokes this way. I always find the cooking time a little tricky. Seems like it always takes 45 minutes of time. I like to make a dip with mayo, lemon juice and curry powder. Yum!

I love to eat these, but find it funny that so many people want to taste garlic and other things when eating artichokes! I just want to taste the 'choke, myself. I love eating them plain, or with a little mayo. Pretty much the only thing I like mayo with, acutally :p

Thanks for the wonderful tips on cooking artichokes. I was first introduced to artichokes in Italy, where I ate carciofo crudo, or raw artichoke. Eaten exactly the same way as your recipe, with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper mixed to dip it in. Amazing!

Great article! It briefly alludes to using a pressure cooker. I'd endorse this method. It's convenient always produces a great artichoke but in my experience 20 minutes is way too long. The average home use pressure cooker would disintegrate a medium sized artichoke in that amount of time.

I'd recommend:
- 9-10 minutes for a Small-Medium Artichokes
- 10-13 for larger ones.

Cook much longer and you'll just have artichoke mush.

WOW, growing up Italian, my artichokes were always baked with the bread crumbs. I don't remember when, sometime in high school, started making hollandaise sauce for dipping. Never heard of the mayo idea. Sounds awfully processed. Keep it natural and go to the true butter based and home made sauces. Artichokes deserve the best!

After reading the comments about how scraping on the top teeth, or the bottom teeth is better, I decided to try both.

I think this is a personal taste thing. Each of us has taste buds that are more or less functioning, which is why some prefer sweet and others salt.

I personally like to use my bottom teeth, so that the dip or mayo goes towards the back of the tongue, while the artichoke leave is more on the front of the tongue. It's like a sensory experience.

It might also depend on each persons different tooth setup, some have stronger lower teeth, and others top teeth.

It's all so personal, that I don't think one way is the "right" way.

:)

For a dipping sauce my fiance uses melted butter and mayo. I know, how fattening right? But wow what a flavor. I kind of like them plain but that's because I try to avoid fat whenever possible.

Thanks for the tips!!

Thanks, needed the timing as I only cook 'chokes once a year.
I recently had one that was cooked in a crawfish boil while at a Cajun wedding in LA. I will never cook it any other way. Cook like a crawfish - shrimp/crab boil spices (think Kary's makes them), lemon, garlic...unbelieveable good.