Friday, April 1, 2016

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
 

38 comments:

  1. Super Jo. We don't get much of artichokes in India. But looks wonderful. hopping from A to Z
    Tina from Twinkling Tina Cooks

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    1. Thanks for visiting Tina. You may not get artichokes, but you do get lots of super food.

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  2. My mother used to make stuffed artichokes. They were very good but just too much trouble to eat.

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    1. I wouldn't find them a trouble to eat Denise, but stuffed are a trouble to prepare.

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  3. I love artichokes, too, Jo. It's a real treat when they come into season.

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    1. We seem to be able to get them year round here Helen. Better at some times than others of course. They even grow small ones North of here nowadays.

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  4. I remember eating those with my father, pulling the leaves off and dipping them. Now my favorite way to eat them is on pizza or with pasta.

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    1. I love to eat them leaf by leaf Diane. Never had them on pizza or pasta.

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  5. They grow them like crazy in the SF Bay area, so I used to eat them a lot in those days. I don't care much for the jars with the hearts in them though.

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    1. You can't buy the fresh in your grocery stores JoJo. We can here and I get a couple most weeks. I like the one's in jars, but not as much. They are great for making a dip.

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  6. Very Nice Post...

    Welcome in the letter "A"... thank you!
    Jeremy [Retro]
    AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2016]

    Stop over and find a free "SIX STRINGS: BLOGGING AtoZ CHALLENGE" Here: http://www.jmhdigital.com/

    HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
    You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?

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    1. I know you are nuts Jeremy LOL. Thanks for dropping by.

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  7. I need to try the recipe you shared! I like artichoke, but so far have mostly used them for bruschetta or in dips.

    Mary Ann from
    A Joyful Chaos

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    1. I love fresh artichokes Mary Ann. Never had them in bruschetta but certainly in dips.

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  8. I haven't had artichokes in years! Now seeing this makes me want one :)

    betty

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    1. Should be able to get them where you are Betty. Almost off the bush.

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  9. I've warmed up to artichokes over the years.
    Now, as long as your B isn't bed bugs, I'm cool.

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    1. I love them Alex. No, my b is not bed bugs, but read my latest email.

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  10. Artichokes are one of my favorites, and I just got the wife to start eating them again. She was burned out on them for a while because one time she (thought) she scraped off all of those spiny hairs, but when she went to eat the heart a single hair got stuck in her throat. And it was there scratching her for hours, no matter how much water she drank. She didn't eat another one for at least a year. I don't blame her. I mean, an artichoke did try to kill her.

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    1. I know what you mean about the choke hairs Bryan. I have done something similar in the past. However, the last artichoke I ate, yesterday, I could eat all those hairs too. Happens now and again.

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  11. I have never eaten an artichoke. Ever. I am sadly deprived of culture, I know.

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    1. For anyone who mows down asparagus, I am not terribly surprised Liz. I love them but I guess they are an acquired taste. When I was 15 in France, I hated them and could have eaten my fill if I'd wanted to.

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  12. I really expected asparagus. You tricked me. I like artichokes when someone else does the preparations.
    Susan Says


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    1. Ha ha, fooled ya. You will be getting a heck of a lot about asparagus on this blog later in the season so decided to not do that now Susan.

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  13. Now those are Jerusalem artichokes - there are the other sort, called, over here 'arty fartys' because of their effect... hope you get the insects sorted! ~Liz http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com

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    1. Liz, I just visited your blog but could find nowhere to comment. When you mentioned arty fartys I though you must be British. I was right. Thanks for dropping by.

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  14. I think I've eaten artichoke in antipasta. Sounds as though they have many health benefits.

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    1. I love artichokes Pinky. I didn't once, but eventually decided they were nectar of the gods.

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  15. Those tips on the leaves are sharp. I worked as a produce clerk at a store in Chicago in high school, and had a heck of a time wrapping them. I think I left more than a little blood in the packages. (This was back in the 70's when the law in Illinois was that everything had to be shrink-wrapped.)

    John Holton
    Blogging from A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    The Sound of One Hand Typing

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    1. I know John, I have pricked my fingers many a time and yet, other times they aren't sharp at all. Shrink wrapping artichokes seems a bit dumb doesn't it?

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  16. Jo,
    An inspiring foodie post. Thanks for sharing. I love artichokes, but have never tried to cook them. You may have changed that.
    Best Wishes
    Jo-Ann Carson
    Lovin' Danger blog (part of the A2Z challenge - writing about world mythology)

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    1. Thanks Jo-Ann. They are simple enough to cook I must say. I mostly boil them and that doesn't take long in boiling salted water. For a big artichoke somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes, test for doneness by sticking a cooking fork into the bottom and also pulling of a leaf.

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  17. I don't think I have ever tried these and have been cautious to try them because that would mean spending money. What if I dislike them and then there goes my money. I know weird but I hope, one day, someone makes them so I can try.

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    1. You'd better nip up the Queen E and 401 Birgit, and I'll cook you some Birgit. I don't mind a bit if you don't like them, I will finish them off with pleasure.

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  18. I do a lot of armchair cooking, looking through magazines and cookbooks. I've always found the idea of cooking my own artichokes challenging. You make it sound so easy. I'm definitely bookmarking this page, and intend to try this yummy-sounding recipe. Thanks!

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    1. Funnily enough I don't do that Stephanie, never was much on magazines and these days, although I have lots of cookbooks, I mostly use the internet. I love artichokes and eat a couple most weeks.

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  19. I was shocked you didn't do asparagus. Shocked, I say, shocked.

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    1. LOL, I think several people were Ivy, but I will be doing a lot of asparagus stuff quite soon - I hope

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