Ever sine I was a kid I have absolutely loved eating artichokes. Of course I do prefer them the way my mother makes them, which is sitting in a dutch even full of olive oil, garlic, and broth, and leaves stuffed with some kind of homemade stuffing, but I will eat them anyday, anyway I can get them.
For those unfamiliar, eating artichokes is a unique and enjoyable experience. For me it satiates that want for bingeing or grazing on snack food because it’s actually a bit time consuming eating them. You pick off the cooked leaves, put it in your mouth, bite down on it, and pull the leaf out so that the flesh of the leaf scrapes off and gets eaten. Once you get through most of the leaves, you get the the tender fleshy heart of the artichoke.
I have been steaming them, and dipping the leaves in hummus. I tried adding some garlic and oil to the water I steamed them over but I don’t think it added any taste. If you are cooking yours in a dutch oven i think some oil and broth will flavor them but if you’re just steaming them, it doesn’t seem to matter much.
- If your artichoke has a long stem, cut it off near the base of the artichoke. The leaves will have a sharp point. I snip the tip off lengthwise of all the leaves. Near the center where they’re tightly packed, you can saw the tips of with a knife if it’s too hard with kitchen scissors
- Steam for about 45 minutes or until leaves pull off easily. The first few outter leaves will remain pretty tough but as you get into the artichoke a bit they will start getting softer. You can peel a few of the outer leaves off and pitch them.
I dipped mine in hummus but I’ve heard of others dipping in melted butter with garlic, mayo, miracle whip, or other veggies dips. They eat like a hearty meal but are actually pretty light so eat up and enjoy!