How to Cook and Eat Artichokes

A four ounce artichoke has about 60 calories and 6.5 grams of fiber and 4.2 grams of protein. You can't eat them raw though.

Preparation:

Cut the stem off parallel to the bottom of the artichoke so that the globe stands straight. The stem contains some good 'heart' but it's also very fibrous, so you'll want to cut it off fairly close to the bottom of the globe. If you like, you can save the stem, peel it, and use it in soup.

Cut the top inch or two off the artichoke (depending on the size). The tips of the leaves are prickly so it's kind to yourself and your diners to remove the top half inch of every outer leaf. For this I use kitchen shears, clipping each leaf tip as I turn the artichoke around. It takes a minute or two, but the presentation is much nicer.

Fill a large pot with water. The artichokes will float, so you don't have to worry about covering them, but you need lots of water because they will cook for quite a while. Add lemon juice to the water to acidulate it - this will help tenderize the artichokes and brighten the flavor. I also add a teaspoon of minced garlic (or two smashed garlic cloves) and some salt. Bring the water to a boil. The artichokes can be added to the water at any time. Once the water has boiled, you can turn it down to a simmer. Place a lid on the pot to help steam the artichokes as you boil them.

I boil artichokes for an hour or sometimes a little more. We like them mushy (hubby wears dentures). If you like yours with a bit more firmness, 45 minutes is probably sufficient. The size and density of the artichokes is something you have to take into account when judging their cook-time.

Drain the artichokes. There's nothing worse than having a puddle of water on the plate under your vegetable. Since the leaves easily trap water, it will take some time to drain them. Either place them upside down in a colander while you finish preparing the rest of the dinner, or give each artichoke a good squeeze over the sink with a pair of tongs.

Eating: There are two phases to eating an artichoke: leaves and heart. The leaves themselves are inedible in a mature artichoke, but there is a small amount of 'meat' at the bottom of each leaf that you scrape off with your teeth (I'm a top teeth scraper, hubby is a bottom teeth scraper... I think the leaf holds more butter if it is presented cupped upwards, hubby says the butter gets to your tongue better if the leaf is cupped downward). The inner leaves are much tenderer and you can start just biting off the bottoms if you're so inclined. The heart is the best part of course, but it also takes some work. In the cup of the heart there are tiny spiky leaves that are very unpleasant to have in your mouth. Use a knife (it need not be very sharp) to cut just under the 'choke' spikes and lift them onto your plate or into your "dead soldier bowl'. What's left is heart and you can cut it into chunks and savor it.

We like our artichokes served with melted butter, to which I add a sprinkle of garlic powder. Some people prefer mayonaise. Artichokes are a low calorie vegetable until you serve them with unlimited fat. If you're dieting, you can dip the edges into salt or garlic powder or any other spice to give them an extra kick of flavor. They are also perfectly delicious as is.

One advantage of artichokes as a diet veggie is how long it takes to eat them. This increases your satisfaction with your meal. Hubby has been known to lift off a bunch of leaves and throw them away to get to the heart sooner. Tsk tsk.

Anyway you eat them, artichokes are a delicious and nutricious vegetable, well worth the trouble of cooking and eating them.