I don’t know about you guys, but for me, eating artichokes brings up a feeling of nostalgia. When I was little, I remember my cousins and I LOVING when my grandma would make artichokes. Of course, at the time I didn’t realize it was literally the easiest vegetable to prepare — and oddly is the most time consuming one to consume — as we ate the delicious “treat.”
I vaguely recall races to finish your artichoke first because then you got to have grandma cut the heart out first and obviously that was — and still is — the best, most cherished few bites. I also remember fighting over who got the most melted butter to dip the leaves in… and, I’m still a butter hog so no change there.
Anyway, as an adult for some reason I never really tried “making” artichokes until the last 6 months… because in my mind it required a great deal of effort. I was sadly mistaken and TOTALLY kick myself for waiting so long… imagine all of the artichokes I could have eaten over the years?!
Steps:
- Clean artichokes (I’ll be honest, I don’t get too intense on this part because you’re going to be boiling them… so just make sure to get water inside the leaves then dump the “dirty” water out, and repeat)
- Use a large sharp knife to cut off most of the stem and the tip (you basically just want to cut off the gathering of sharp pointy pieces at the top… I do not go through and cut the tips off of every leaf but feel free… remember, this is about ease not perfection)
- Boil enough water in a pot to submerge artichokes, add a pinch of salt (if you want to… not required)
- Throw the artichoke babies in the boiling water (okay, don’t throw them… I don’t want you burning yourself)… and while some people say you need to use one of those gadgets to hold them down or even that there’s a right way for them to float… right side up or upside down… in my experience — and humble opinion — it absolutely does not matter
- Cover pot and reduce heat just a tiny bit, let boil for about 30 minutes (unless they’re those super tiny organic ones and then less time might be fine)… the test is if you can pull a leaf out easily and even with large ones I’ve never had a problem with that after 30 minutes
- Remove from water, let cool, and eat each delicious leaf with melted butter (and of course, at the end take care to cut out the heart of artichoke and throw the pieces in the melted butter because if I’m eating a vegetable it better be covered in calories) ha
Some people like to add salt, garlic, lemon, blah blah blah, to the butter and/or in the pot when boiling the artichokes, but I actually love the natural taste so the only altering I do is dipping the leaves in butter… because lets be real, then each unaltered leaf is a little vessel to carry my favorite animal product directly in my mouth and to my thighs.
If you’re really fancy, serve with a garlic chipotle aioli (which is really just mayonnaise with flavoring but aioli does sound much more fancy), but in this home I will continue to choose to revert back to my childhood days and dip the plain leaves in melted butter (don’t worry, Osborne’s don’t believe in buying unsalted anything… so it still tastes delicious haha.)
If you’re my boyfriend, eating artichokes is too much work for a little reward, but for those of you who simply love the taste — and dare I say “fun” of pealing back the layers — try my easy steps for artichoke gold. You won’t regret it!
Photo source: www.dollyandoatmeal.com
Love this picture!