How to Prepare, Cook, and Eat an Artichoke

Though it's origin is unknown (some say it originated in Northern Africa) no one can deny the tastiness of the Artichoke! I loved artichokes until the first time I tried to prepare them myself! Through trial and error here is a quick and easy way to prepare, cook, and serve the tasty artichoke. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sharp knife
• Artichokes
• Lemon juice
• Stainless steel or enamel sauce pan.

1. To prepare an artichoke for cooking, first cut off the sharp tips of the leave. Next, trim the base and the outer green layers of the stalk.

2. To cook an artichoke place it in a stainless steel or enamel pan in 1 inch of salted water. If you like add a little lemon juice to the water as well. Cover and steam the artichoke until the bottom can be easily pierced with a fork -about 35-40 minutes.

3. Remove the artichoke from the pan and drain upside down.

4. Serve your artichokes with lemon juice and melted butter or a vinaigrette or hollandaise sauce.

5. To eat: Pull off a single leaf. Dip it's fleshy part in sauce and than pull the stalk through your teeth. Don't forget to cut the inedible hairy part (the choke) from the tender bowl shaped heart and eat the heart and stalk.

[eac913]

on 10/18/2009 Delicious. I thought I was the only one who ate my with vinegar and oil. Great article on how to prepare, cook and eat an artichoke. 5*

[CrystalR]

on 2/25/2009 Sounds yummy, thanks for the helpful instructions.

[Felicia822]

on 12/16/2008 never had an artichoke, maybe this will help me.

[deshmukh]

on 11/5/2008 Thanks. Very good recipe

[Benjis100]

on 11/3/2008 I have always wondered how to prepare an artichoke, thanks for the quick simple tips