Monday, April 07, 2008

Artichoke



My advice is move as close to Castroville, CA as possible....

Worlds freshest artichokes. I am fortunate enough to reap the benefits of this town without having to actually live there. I've driven through the area a few times and have been more than tempted to stop the car and hack down a few of the budding veggies.
I refrain BUT when I see a nice artichoke at the farmers market I must buy. The artichokes were looking particularly fresh.
I'm a plain jane when it comes to eating these- I don't want anything on them at all... no butter, no mayo, nothing... I guess you could say I like them naked :)

Mayo and butter are the only things I've tried though, what are other dips??

Teddy

5 comments:

Melissa said...

Lemon juice... Vinaigrette... Olive oil and vinegar... I'm not terribly creative.

urban vegan said...

I think best-quality extra virgin olive oil, with a little sea salt and fresh ground white pepper, is the perfect dipping sauce for an artichoke.

Unknown said...

hahaha you said naked.

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Christina said...

My household is huge fan of artichokes, and our three favorite ways to eat fresh artichokes are, in no particular order:

Grilled or baked with a drizzle of good olive oil, sea salt and a few cloves of crushed or sliced garlic. This is the messiest of the ways we eat them, but requires so almost no prep and seems really elegant.

Slightly melt a few tablespoons of Earth Balance or Soy Garden so it's kinda liquid, but still opaque. Add lemon juice to your liking (I add the juice of 1/2 a lemon, usually), and some sea salt. Dip steamed leaves. You can also use a combination of Earth Balance and olive oil, if you'd like.

If you can find baby artichokes, fry them. Groom the babies by peeling away outer leaves and spiky tops, like normal, then cut each baby in half, and rub lemon wedge over all cut surfaces. In a skillet, dutch over, or buffet pan, place about 1 inch of water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the lemony groomed baby artichoke hearts (the choke is so underdeveloped that it's edible). Heat over medium high heat. Keep an eye on them, but let them do their own thing. The water will steam and soften them, but eventually evaporate, and the oil will make them crispy and delicious. Once the water is gone, carefully stir about every minute. You want them to get a little brown. Season with sea salt and enjoy.