Topic: Globe artichokes

[derbex]

What are some good ways of cooking these? I'm a total novice as far as they're concerened.

Jeremy

[Sarah-b]

The basic method is to cut off all the prickly ends and boil for 40 mins or so, until you can easily pull away one of the "petals". Then you sit there, pulling all the petals off and sucking the endy bit out. And when you are left with just the middle lumpy bit, you can have a nibble at that.
They do have a delicious flavour.
In my cookery books, there is a method for hacking the whole thing away before you cook it, so that you only cook the bit you are actually going to eat. But I think you need quite big artichokes to do that (look in Jamie Olivers first book, or Marcella Hazan's Cucina if you have them - they both list a few artichoke recipes too).
Last night I actually cut off all the little artichokes from my transplanted offsets after reading another thread about how you mustn't exhaust the wee plants. So now I have them in a vase at home. I have heard some mention of eating these "baby artichokes" in salads - now, how would that work?

Sarah.

[jo2]

Ate my first ever artichoke last night! not grown by me as I thought I'd better taste one before growing them and I must admit I rather liked it despite the fact you don't get much to eat of such a huge flower head.
I boiled it up for about 35 minutes then sat pulling all the petals off nibbling the fleshy ends and lastly the flat bit in the middle.  An unusual but nice supper.
Worst bit was finding a pan big enough to cram it in as it was too big to fit in any of my saucepans without sticking out the top-it ended up in the bottom of the pressure cooker!
don't think I'd serve it at a dinner for guests as rather too messy and fussy for company.

[Mrs Ava]

Ah but Jo, an intimate dinner party with close chums, all hands on, sucking away at the artichoke leaves, getting butter all over your hands.  Sounds wonderful to me.  

[derbex]

Thanks Girls -had our first couple on Friday -yumm  ;)

Jeremy.