Artichoke

My favorite vegetable. The cooked bud becomes soft and edible-- dip in mayo, then remove the 'meat' from the inside of the leaves by scraping each leaf with your front teeth. It's totally fantastic.



Serves 1
55 minutes
-large pot
[-vegetable steamer- optional]
Quick and Easy

INGREDIENTS
1 fresh globe artichoke

Dipping:
2 tbsp. mayonnaise*
-OR-
2 tbsp. melted butter
*Hellman's mayo is GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash off the artichoke. With a sharp knife (or pair of kitchen scissors), cut the first inch clean off the top of the thistle. You should see the yellow-ish leaves now revealed in the top opening, as shown above.
2. With same knife/scissors remove the thorns from the tough outside leaves by clipping off the tops of each leaf. Your artichoke should now look like my picture, top and outside leaf tips removed.
3. Shorten the stem if you desire, but I normally leave it long. Remove any small or discolored leaves from the bottom of the artichoke.
4. If you don't have a veggie steamer (I use a small strainer that sits on the rim of a pot), place the artichoke inside the pot and fill with water so the veggie is totally submerged. If you DO have a veggie steamer, fill pot halfway with water, then place artichoke in steamer so it sits slightly above the water level.
5. Bring water to a rapid boil over high heat (covered, IF you are steaming the artichoke). Turn down the heat slightly to medium-high once you reach full boil and cook for 30 to 45 minutes-- older 'chokes will take longer to cook. It's done when a middle petal pulls out easily.
6. Pour out the hot water and carefully (they are hot!) remove a petal, starting from the outside and working in. Dip the fleshy part of each leaf in mayo or melted butter before eating!! Amazing!

7. To eat: orient the leaf so that the inside part-- the side once facing the bud body-- points to the roof of your mouth. Place leaf halfway into your mouth. Gently grip the leaf with your front teeth, bite down slightly, and pull the leaf outward, scraping off the top flesh with your front teeth. Discard the remaining part of the leaf. The first couple of outside leaves will be tough, but the leaves will become softer and 'meaty' as you work your way inward.
8. To the heart!: Once you reach the innermost leaves (they look thin, wilted and purple-tipped) pull off those under-developed leaves with your fingers. Discard. You should now see a bunch of pale yellow-green strings. Scrape this choke out with a teaspoon or your fingers; discard this mess of fuzz. You have now uncovered the HEART-- when done properly, it looks like a shallow bowl with dimples (no more fuzzy strings) attached to the stem. Eat the entire heart. Groan with veggie pleasure.