Artichokes are in season!

Two cooked beauties! Ready to enjoy!

I love artichokes! I used to steam them on the stove in a big pot and it was a big production! Today, I discovered a much easier way! Just microwave them! It fast and easy and the artichokes come out perfect!

Two raw artichoke beauties and their stems that have been trimmed of their outermost fibrous covering

• Cut the stem from the artichoke, leaving about 1/2 inch of the stem attached to the artichoke.
• Peel the stem with a sharp knife, removing about 1/8 inch of the outermost layer. Set aside.
• Break off the small leaves at the base of the artichoke, and discard these leaves.
• Starting at the bottom and working your way up, use a sharp scissors (like this one, which I love), to cut the thorns off the leaves. But don’t bother cutting the thorns from the top 1/4 of the artichoke, because in the next step you are going to cut them off.
• Using a sharp heavy knife (like a chef’s knife), cut about 1.5 inches off of the top of the artichoke.
• Now give the artichoke a good rinse, pulling the the leaves apart to flush out the debris that may be there. Then place them upside down in a bow of water and swish them around.
• Put 1/4 cup of water into a deep microwavable bowl.
• Add the artichoke to the bowl, cut side down.
• Throw the reserved trimmed stem into the bowl with the artichoke. (Sorry, photo doesn’t show the stem.)

Artichoke is placed cut side down in the water. Add the trimmed artichoke stem to the bowl, too!

• Cover the bowl with a silicone cover (like this one, shown below) or with a plate.

• In my experience, a large artichoke takes 5 – 6 minutes on high. A very large one takes 7 – 9 minutes on high. Then let it steam for about a minute before you remove the lid. (Artichokes vary in size and microwave ovens vary in wattage, so timing is relative.)
• Test artichoke for doneness: When the artichoke is cooked, you can easily insert a knife into the stem.

Cooked artichoke stems, sliced. Delicious just as they are! Cook’s treat!

How to eat an artichoke?
This short video shows how.

A few simple sauces that go great with artichokes

• Mix olive oil, lemon juice and a little butter — warm and then add Parmesan cheese.
• Bagna cauda sauce, like in this recipe.
• Preserved lemon vinaigrette, in this recipe.
• Invent your own recipe: In a bowl, wisk some of the liquid from a jar of preserved lemons, like from this jar, with some extra virgin olive oil, a little fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of garlic granules (or garlic powder). It’s so simple and so delicious!

Artichokes are very nutritious!
Artichokes are high in fiber and many different health-promoting phytochemicals. To learn more about the nutrients in and health-promoting benefits of artichokes, see this article.

Enjoy and be healthy!
Leni

Artichoke Lemon Pesto

This simple artichoke pesto is, honestly, pretty bland — and that’s a good thing! It means you can customize this pesto to your liking and add it to lots of foods. (At the end of this post, I have listed some of my favorite ways to use this pesto.)

Artichokes contain prebiotics. I tend to think of prebiotics as food for probiotics – the good bacteria in your gut. But it’s a little more complicated than that. According to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP): “A prebiotic is a selectively fermented ingredient that results in specific changes in the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefit(s) upon host health. (Gibson et al. 2010. Food Science and Technology Bulletin: Functional Foods 7 (1) 1–19.)”

For credible scientific information about prebiotics and probiotics, see:

• Prebiotics: A Consumer Guide for Making Smart Choices 
• Probiotics: A Consumer Guide for Making Smart Choices 

INGREDIENTS

1, 12-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, cooked according to package directions, drained
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
grated rind of one organic lemon
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon of salt

DIRECTIONS

Place all of the ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a smooth paste forms.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freeze what you will not use up in a week.

FOOD SAFETY TIP –  Before you head to your kitchen, please read this Food Safety Tip!

When you combine garlic and oil, you create an environment in which botulism (a deadly food-born bacteria) can grow. According to the University of Colorado Extension Service, to prevent the possible growth of botulism when mixing oil and garlic, you should always “add an acidifying agent such as lemon juice or vinegar to the recipe at the rate of one tablespoon per cup of oil.” Also you should “discard infusions after one week, or sooner if apparent cloudiness, gas bubbles, or foul odor develop.”

FREEZE IT!

A great way to store extra fresh herb sauce is to freeze it in silicone muffin pans. For details, see the post, Silicone Muffin Pans – a Kitchen Staple – but not for baking!

OTHER FRESH HERB SAUCE  RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

• Arugula Pesto – REALLY easy to make!
• Cilantro Chutney (Indian) – Everybody loves this one.
• Charmoula (Moroccan) – Totally amazing! Adds a lot of pop to the food!
• Basil Pesto(Italian) – A great standby.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THIS ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO? 

• Use this Artichoke Lemon Pesto recipe as a starter to make something even more flavorful

ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO + grated Parmesan Cheese + chopped fresh flat leaf (Italian) Parsley .

• Improve any salad dressing

ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO + your favorite Italian salad dressing.

• Create a delicious thick and creamy salad dressing

ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO + fresh squeezed orange juice + dried oregano (fresh would be too overpowering) + fresh garlic (minced fine) + salt. Makes a great salad dressing. Try it on greens and top with pecan halves. Amazing! I served this dressing (without the garlic) at the lunch I made for my mom on her 89th birthday. She loved it! Personally I like this dressing with the garlic in it, but for those like my mom who don’t like garlic, it’s great without it too.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni