It’s Artichoke Season!

I’ve already posted about artichokes…. in flower.

However, I do love eating them! They taste super iron-y and are extremely healthy. So what are you waiting for?

Here I’ll show you how to clean and cook the artichokes so you’re ready to do whatever you want with them.

First, chop the stem off (but don’t throw it!)

Then, take all those hard leaves off. Did you know that those aren’t really leaves, but petals? Yup, you’re eating a flower.

Now you have the soft centre but the top is all thorny and pointy. So chop that off, too. I usually use the point in which the petals start turning dark green as a good point to chop.

Cut it in half.

There, in the middle. Do you see the hairy centre? It’s called the choke, or “beard”. Sometimes it’s too fuzzy and sticks to your tongue, so some people like to remove it before cooking.

Now, slice the halves.

You might notice how quickly the artichoke starts to oxidate. IE, become brown. This is the same photo as above, but a few minutes later.

To avoid this, cut the artichoke quickly (without dawdling) and drop the pieces that are ready to cook in a bowl of cold lemon water – water with a half lemon squeezed in it.

Now for the stem. Take away the ends first.

Now take one end and carefully peel the outer layer of the stem away. I tried to take a photo but it was too difficult!

When you finish it should look like this

Slice the stem and let it sit in the lemon water while you prepare the pan. You will need a drizzle of olive oil, garlic and parsley.

When the garlic start to sizzle (but not burn!) and then add the artichokes.

Cook for about 20 mins or until the artichokes are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. When they’re completely cooked add the chopped parsley.

Et voila! Cooked and ready for whatever you want. You can now make risotto with artichokes, a quiche, eat it as a side dish, add some peas and fava beans…. anything at all!

I decided to add some eggs and make scrambled artichokes. I like the way the earthy artichokes go with the eggs. Yum!

How did you make yours? Comment below!