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