A is for Artichokes

Today is the beginning of the A to Z Challenge. If you are unaware of what is behind this Challenge, click on the badge on the right side and you will be able to find out what you want to know.

I bet many of you thought I was going to do Asparagus - no, too obvious. Besides,

you will be sick of me and asparagus in a couple of months or so. Now artichokes, are one of my favourites too. What isn't you ask? True. However, I eat a couple of them most weeks although once upon a time I couldn't stand them. I still cry when I think of the most wonderful pile of artichokes put before me (and others of course) when I was 15 and on an exchange visit to France. I wouldn't eat them. I had tried them before and just didn't like them. Below, is what Wiki has to say about them.

Artichokes

Artichokes are actually the flower of a plant in the same family as marigolds, daisies, and sunflowers. Like other nonstarchy vegetables, artichokes are low in calories and have a high water and fiber content, making them a great choice for people who are trying to lose weight or prevent or manage heart disease or type 2 diabetes. Artichokes are also a good source of potassium and folate, nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis and help lower blood pressure, improve mood, and slow memory decline. Artichokes also supply magnesium and vitamin K, two nutrients that boost bone health.

The most popular way of eating them is to boil, or steam them (I put them in boiling salted water) for

about an hour and then to pull off the leaves one by one, dip the bottoms in a sauce such as a vinaigrette, and then draw the ends between your teeth to remove the succulent flesh. The stalks can also be boiled and eaten. Once you get to the heart or choke, you will come across a kind of fuzzy area, this fuzz is usually prickly and has to be pulled off leaving the rest of the heart which is the most succulent part of all. In very small, young artichokes you can eat everything and they don't take as long to cook, but the larger artichokes are more tasty. I forgot, many chefs recommend cutting the tips of the leaves as they can be very sharp (I never bother but have stabbed myself with them now and again). Also, when boiling or steaming, to test if they are ready, pull off a leaf. If it comes off easily, they are done.

This recipe is from Ocean Mist who produce artichokes and sounds pretty good to me I must admit.


ITALIAN ARTICHOKE RECIPE

This is the old way in that my family always used fresh Italian bread for their stuffing.


SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:


6 Ocean Mist artichokes
1/2 loaf of Italian bread
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
Oil, your preference

DIRECTIONS:


Slice off all the crust on the Italian bread and shred the rest of the bread till it is fluffy. Add all the ingredients except the oil. Toss everything so it is mixed, then add the oil so it moistens the bread and the ingredients. Toss everything again and set aside. Take each artichoke, cut off the stem, trim the tips, run under cold water, turn upside down and bang on your cutting board. This will let any sand loosen and fall out. Now that you have trimmed all the tips you can spread the artchoke open and fill it with the stuffing you have made. Be sure to put some into the outer leaves. I fill a 12 quart pot with about 4 inches of water and place a round cake cooling rack at the bottom of the pot. Place all 6 Ocean Mist artichokes on the rack, turn the stove on high, place the cover on the pot, once it starts boiling, lower the temperature to simmer. I say cooking time is about 1 1/4 hours, could be a little less or a little more, test by pulling a leaf to see how tender it is.

Have a great day