Thread: Artichokes!!

Hmm, a two year old thread bumped?
OK, I have an update.

Last year, I went on a long trip around Europe. When I was deep in southern Italy, there were some street vendors grilling porchetta, lamb, or seafood. Almost invariably, they offered "carciofi all brace" on the side. It's apparently one of the oldest ways to cook artichokes that goes back to Roman times. They just put some salt & oil on them and threw them whole right into the smoldering coals for about 20-30 minutes. It was completely black and looked totally charred--but that was only the tough outer leaves you don't eat anyway. Inside, it was tender and really good with a smoky flavor.

Closest thing I found to a recipe in English on the internet:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/reciped...px?dishid=8190

Originally Posted by GALLY

Steam them until they are almost done (still need to be slightly firm). Baste them with melted butter & garlic, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Put on the BBQ for a few minutes (on each side) until the leaves are crispy on the edges.

This. Then I dip in my secret mayo sauce.

Any talk about dipping sauces?

I generally mix garlic, japanese mayo, and italian dressing together with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Amazingly good!

We then cut the heart into slices and use in salads.

To all of you that steam these bad boys, invest in a pressure cooker....perfect 'chokes in 15 minutes.

One more thing...save your old corn cobs and throw them directly on the burners when you BBQ your 'chokes (or anything else for that matter). This adds a great hard wood smoke flavor.

I like to add a little dill and parsley to the butter before dipping.

This would explain why people are ordering them on their pizzas lately.

Steamed, drawn butter or thousand Island dressing were my favorites. I like the hearts even more.

Haven't made them in years though...too lazy. lol

THe thing I like about artichokes is that they take a while to eat. Nothing bugs me more than preping something to eat, and the time to consume it is 1/10 the time to make it. This is not the case with artichokes. The prep is minimal, the taste is great and it takes some time to consume. You actually get to enjoy your food. Who'd had thought?

my prep:

cut in half
steam
baste with butter salt & pepper
grill
serve with garlic aoli and balsamic dressing

absolutely wonderful

We either steam or boil and use plain ol' mayo. I think I'll take Salami's suggestion and buy a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time.

Where do you get your chokes?

Have gotten them from all the local markets and are usaually hit and miss with them. Used to get them at Costco and were good most of the time, haven't seen them in a while though. The best place to get them is Bristol Farms. A bit pricey at $3.99 but very big and haven't had a bad one yet.

Just had 1 with dinner so i thought i'd revive this thread. I steam 'em w/ a lemon wedge in the water and then dip them in low fat mayo. Good times.

Originally Posted by kingkrazy

Where do you get your chokes?

Have gotten them from all the local markets and are usaually hit and miss with them. Used to get them at Costco and were good most of the time, haven't seen them in a while though. The best place to get them is Bristol Farms. A bit pricey at $3.99 but very big and haven't had a bad one yet.

I get all my produce from Sprouts, and it is VERY reasonably priced since everything is locally grown. I think i got 2 for $3

Originally Posted by Sticky

True. I steamed one for an hour the other day, and it was still tough. I cooked that sucker for almost 2 hours before it was soft enough to eat.

Weird, I steam 'em for about 35-40 minutes and they are perfect everytime

Originally Posted by Bogey

Too much work to eat.

Thats the best part, unless you're just way too lazy.