Artichokes

I first became enthusiastic about the artichoke when I studied abroad in Italy and cooked with them in my Italian Vegetarian Cooking class. Since then, I've made them only once, and likely steamed them. I am most recently excited about the artichoke from a business trip I was on last week in California which took me through the Artichoke Capital of the World - Castroville, CA. I've passed by the artichoke farms many times but this time was with a colleague who encouraged me to finally pull over for an early lunch!  Pezzini Farms was the place to be. Families, business travels like us, and anyone looking to get their artichoke fix were there. More important than the artichoke food cart at first was the pure amount of artichokes they had (not surprising, it was an artichoke farm after all)!

We decided to order the fried artichoke wrap after artichoke excitement settled. Served with ranch, it was delicious. For more information on artichokes, visit the Artichoke Advisory Board.

I found the best way to use my artichokes were to go with the ever classic, steaming! It was perfect, and with a lemon butter sauce, I couldn't get enough.

Ingredients

• 4 sprigs parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 quart chicken broth or water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 whole artichokes

Directions

Put the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, lemons, wine, oil and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. In the meantime prepare the artichokes.
Wash artichokes under cold water. Using a heavy stainless steel knife, cut off the stems close to the base. Pull off the lower petals that are small and tough. Cut off the top inch of the artichoke and rub with half a lemon to preserve the green color. Alternatively, you may put the artichokes in acidulated water. If you wish, trim the thorny tips of the petals with kitchen shears.
Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid, bottom up. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when a knife is inserted into the base and there is no resistance.
To eat, pull off a leaf and scrape the meat off the tender end with your front teeth. Dip the ends of the leaves in lemon juice and melted butter if desired. When you reach the center cone of purple prickly leaves, remove it. This is the choke that protects the heart. Now, scrape away the thistle fuzz covering the artichoke heart. The heart is the meatiest part of the artichoke. Steamed artichokes may be served hot or cold.