Artichokes were on sale at the grocery store the other day and I couldn't resist. Have you ever tried them fresh? And how were they named artichoke? And did you realize they had purple in the middle... not to mention the hairy "choke" in the center... Well, we have tried them several times... they are a pain in the hiney to prepare, but yummy to eat. And the name....???? the kids and I came up with several different stories... Mason: "A guy names Arti found one in the desert and figured out how to eat it... he choked!" And I am still digging in my pinkie finger to find the spine of one of the leaves that stabbed me. OUCH! It was worth it... layer after layer of yummy... right to the heart of ol' "Arti"
Steamed Artichokes
4 artichokes
4 artichokes
water just to cover
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. whole pepper corns
1 lemon sliced
steam prepared artichokes with all remaining ingredients for 25 to 30 minutes.
How to prepare an artichoke....
cut of top third of artichoke, squeeze lemon juice of cut section. slice stem end leaving only a small amount below base of artichoke. peel away outside layer of tough green leaves. using scissors snip tops of a few base leaves. using a melon baller scoop out center of heart (purple leaves and the choke... as much as possible) squeeze with lemon and let rest in ice water until the remaining artichokes are prepared. swear, break melon baller, turn fingers purple from yanking away at the center and get stabbed with small prickly spines.... :) oh what fun~
dip them in lemon juice, melted butter and mayonnaise
