Steamed Artichokes became a favorite with my children from the moment they began to actually eat with their hands. Many of their friends leaned to eat Steamed Artichokes at our table. Eating tutorial later.
First – choose artichokes whose leaves are tightly closed. I prefer unblemished ones but the “frost-bitten” artichokes that come at the end of Winter are also delicious. The greyish area on their leaves disappear in the cooking.
Second-prepare as described below.
Third- Don’t assume everyone knows how to eat an artichoke. If I have new guests at my table, I always give a general explanation hidden in a story from my children’s youth about how to approach this amazing vegetable:
With your fingers, you pull out an individual artichoke leaf. There will be a small amount of the artichoke heart at the tip. Dip that piece into the dresing dressing and put it in your mouth-scraping the artichoke heart off the leaf with your front teeth. Discard the leaf on the serving plate. Repeat this process until you have eaten as much of the artichoke as you wish. At this point, you will see a small cluster of purple leaves. Lift these up in one swoop and set aside. Now, you will see the heart covered by a layer of bristles called the “choke”. Take a knife and gently cut around the circle of the choke so that you can remove it. Voila- there is your artichoke heart. Cut it up and dip each piece into the Vinaigrette of your choice. Enjoy!
For another artichoke recipe, try this: Stuffed Artichokes
Prep time: each artichoke takes about 5 minutes to prepare for cooking