Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

ARTICHOKE

Basic Preparation

Journalists and other students of the English
language should be required to describe the
preparation and cooking method of an arti­
choke (the globe variety) so that a cook who
has never seen one could manage the task.
Every cookbook I could find simply assumes
too much. Th ey describe spines, bottom, heart,
and choke as though each were obvious. As a
result, they are mostly ignored!
So here is my attempt to remedy this sit­
uation.
The globe artichoke is really an enormous
bud that has yet to blossom and is a large
baseball-size globe of tough, green, sometimes
spine-tipped overlapping leaves that sits on top
of an inedible stalk.
When cut in half lengthwise, you can see that
the stalk’s entry is surrounded by a dense gray-
green collar about ½ inch thick, which forms
the bottom. Immediately above the bottom is a
fuzzy mass of fi ne fibers called the choke, which,
like the stalk, is inedible and always removed.
Surrounding the choke are about four ten­
der inner leaves that make up the heart, which
includes the bottom.
A fair-size artichoke can weigh in at 12–15
ounces. The heart will provide 4–5 ounces max.
There are two basic methods of preparing
the artichoke:
Whole: Trim the stalk off flat and lower the
globe into boiling salted water, to which you’ve
added 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon

juice for every 1 pint of water. Cover and boil

for 20 minutes. To test for doneness, tug out

one central leaf; if it comes out easily, the arti­

choke is done. Remove, turn the globe upside

down to drain, and cool. When the artichoke

has cooled, pinch several leaves together at

the top and twist sharply, remove, and set aside.

Using a teaspoon, dig out the choke but leave

the bottom.

Drizzle about a tablespoon of Treena’s Vin­

aigrette (see page 74) inside the globe. It will

season the leaf ends when pulled out and those

previously removed from the top. You eat only

the fleshy end pieces that attach to the bottom.

Hearts: Cut the globe lengthwise in quar­

ters with a large sharp knife. You will clearly see

all the parts in cross-section. Put each piece

bottom down into a bowl of freshly squeezed

lemon juice immediately to prevent the fl esh

from blackening. Put a steamer on the stovetop

and heat the water. Strip off all the outer leaves,

leaving three or four of the tender inside leaves,

and cook covered in the steamer as hearts for

20 minutes. When cooled, detach the choke

and stalk, and trim the outside of the bottom.

Use as described in the recipes that follow.

ARTICHOKE OMELET

Artichoke hearts always provide a deep,

smooth, rich texture and make this omelet a

good candidate for brunch.

SERVES 6

68 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE