Guest blog from Kazden…
Artichokes are something I have always enjoyed, and they are a family favorite. They are interesting to eat and very nutritious so I wanted to make them myself. Turns out, it’s pretty simple to make artichokes. (Especially if you buy them at Trader Joe’s where the instructions are right inside the label. Another good reason to buy them here is because they are inexpensive.) The only problem I had was when I ate the heart, I accidentally ate some thistles. Don’t worry, they aren’t sharp thistles, more like hairy thistles.
This is the brand of artichoke we used from Trader Joe’s. Four of them are less than $3.
The directions were rather simple and we had a metal steamer basket that fit right into the pot.
I chose to clip the spikey part because it is easier to eat like that and won’t poke you. This is my favorite brand of kitchen shears by Shun.
I filled the pot up to the bottom of the steamer basket with water and turned the stove on high heat. We have found artichokes cook most evenly when upside down. These were small so we checked at 25 minutes and they were done (the stem part was softish).
This is how you eat the leaves. I like them plain but some people like to dip in mayo or melted butter.
Once the leaves are gone, scrape out the hairy, thistle part. This will expose the heart, which some people think is the best part. If you don’t eat right away, artichokes can be put in the fridge for later. I reheat them but my mom eats them cold.
