How to cook an artichoke

I live 45 minutes away from Watsonville, CA - the artichoke capital of the world!!  And I LOVE them.  At first glance, artichokes don't look edible with their tough outer skin and prickley points at the tip of each leaf.  However, once cooked you can eat the base of each leaf and you can eat the meaty heart of the artichoke. 

Let's get started.

First, get a large pot and put a few cups of water (you will be placing a steamer basket in the pot, so you want enough water to steam for 30 - 45 minutes) and a tablespoon or two of balsamic vineagar.  I prefer this flavor combination as the balsamic brings a bit of sweetness to the artichoke.  Alternately, you can add the juice of half a lemon and a few peeled garlic cloves to the water.  They add nice flavor to the artichoke.



(photo from simplyrecipes.com)

Using scissors, cut off the end of each leaf so it looks like the picture above.  This gets rid of the sharp point on each leaf.  Also cut off the top to expose the interior of the artichoke.  This helps it to cook all the way through.  I usually also cut off the stem to make a flat base to put in the steamer.  Some people steam the 'choke with the stem on, open it and eat it's inside as well but I am not familiar with that.

Place your artichoke in the steamer basket, either laying on its side (if you left the stem on) or standing upright (if you cut off the stem).  Cover the pot with a lid, and let it steam with the water at a rolling boil for 30 - 45 minutes.  You know that the artichoke is fully cooked when you can easily pull off one of the bottom leaves.

How to eat an artichoke:

  
(photos from simpyrecipes.com)

You only eat the bottom "meat" off of the leaf.  Using your teeth to scrape it off, you'll see the edible part is a lighter green than the non-edible leaf.  To test for doneness, you can try to scrape the meat off of the leaf.  If it hard then the artichoke is not done cooking.  If it is soft and easy to pull off with your teeth it is done.

Some people like to dip each piece of artichoke in sauce.  Some ideas include: balsamic vineagrette, mayo mixed with a few teaspoons of balsamic vineager (to your liking), or melted butter.

Continue pulling off all the leaves until you get to this:


(photo from simplyrecipes.com)

The fuzze part you see here is NOT edible.  Using a spoon, you will start scraping it off and notice more of the off white "meat" underneath.


(photo from simplyrecipes.com)

Once your artichoke heart looks like this, you can just cut it into pieces and eat it!  And after all that work you will really enjoy the delicious deep flavor of the artichoke heart :)

Let me know how it goes!  And please feel free to leave questions or clarifications in the comment section and I will respond as quickly as I can.