How to Cook Artichokes
If, like a lot of cooks, you eye the artichokes in the produce section but pass them by because you aren't sure how to cook artichokes, you'll like knowing just how easy the process can be. You might think a vegetable as sophisticated as an artichoke might need a fussier method of cooking, but that's not the case. A simple steaming yields great results, making the flesh tender without any bruising or browning. You'll end up with a gorgeous, almost too-pretty-to-eat vegetable that goes well with any main course and turns even a simple meal into one your family will remember as special.The elegant vegetable, considered to be part of the thistle family, can take a bit of time to prepare. But the actual steaming of the artichoke is easy, and many chefs consider it the ultimate way to prepare artichokes so they retain their color, flavor and texture.
When selecting artichokes, look for globes that are dark green, feel heavy in your hand and have leaves that are tight and not opened. Those that are brown or have curling leaves are past their prime. They can be used in some recipes, such as soups, but the one's you choose for steaming should be in tip-top condition.
Transcript
Hi! I'm Miranda with recipe.com and today I'm gonna show
you how to make a perfect Steamed Artichokes. Now, I
know this lovely little vegetable can be sort of intimidating
but I promised with these easy to follow cooking method,
it's gonna be an absolute snack and super healthy, so
let's get started. I have our ingredients all laid out
here. I have 4 globe artichokes, 1 peeled garlic clove,
I bay leaf.
I have a little bit of chopped parsley for garnish,
that's optional, and then 1/2 lemon. Over here, I have
this large pot with 2 inches of water but I've
not brought it to a boil yet and what we're
gonna start by doing is preparing our artichokes. So, to
prepare an artichoke, you begin by cutting off the top
steam-- just like this, but I always leave a little
bit, to kind of grab or hold off when you're
cooking. I also like to cut the very, very top
off just right here, so you kind of expose the
inner leaves.
So, you just chop that off, perfect, and then, the
very, very last step is using a pair of kitchen
shears. It's just to snip off these sharp little pointy
edges which will impel you otherwise, and we're gonna keep
going until it's all nice and snip off. Okay, so
now that these edges are all snipped off, the key
is to just rub it with the lemon on the
cut part. They oxidize really, really fast.
So, by putting some lemon juice on it, we're gonna
stop that process. So, while we prepare the other ones,
we are gonna let this kind of soak in a
lemon juice and let's keep going until all of our
artichokes are nice and snipped and clean. Okay, ao our
artichokes are all prepared and then start to oxidize so
fast, then I've been like a crazy woman just like
rubbing them with lemon juice because obviously as you do
one, you do know, and then you like let it
rest while you're doing the other one. It starts to
brown and then it's like this-- this crazy juggling process,
but breathe because now we are on to the next
part. So, we have our
pot of water and we're not bringing it to boil
yet. Instead, we're going to add our clove of peeled
garlic, our bay leaf, and we're gonna squeeze the juice
of both of these lemons in here. And so, it's
been really going to-- our artichokes are literally going to
steam in this yummy little bath of bay leaf, lemon,
and garlic. Why do we all love to steam in
a bath, so tasty? Okay, so now insert the steamer
basket. Okay,
and we are going to place the artichokes, cut-side down.
Okay, so we'll cover these and now bring it to
a boil. Let the steam covered for 45 minutes to
50 minutes until one of bottom leaves can just pull
away really easily without you even tugging and then you
know it's done. So, we're gonna come back then in
45 to 50 minutes. Okay, so it's been 45 minutes.
Let's check on our artichokes-- our beautiful, perfect Steamed Artichokes.
Now, remember I said,
the way to test if it's done is to pull
one of these bottom leaves and look how beautifully that
just pulls right off like that, so we know we're
good to go and look how beautiful they are. Look
at that, such a healthy method of cooking the Steamed
Artichoke. Now, this is ready to go. You could serve
this as a side dish for two, with like a
little bit of butter sauce. Maybe just cut it in
half and just enjoy it that way or if you're
looking for an appetizer, consider a variation like a curry
dip or something really delicious like a honey mustard, it
would be fantastic. But no matter how you enjoy it,
it sure to be a crowd pleaser. There you have
it. That's how you make a perfect Steamed Artichokes. Thanks
for watching, and for more great recipes and savings, visit
us at recipe.com.
What You'll Need
- 4 globe artichokes
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- Chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Step By Step
1
Break off artichoke stems to remove tough fibers. Cut stem ends. Trim off pointed leaf tops of artichokes with scissors. Rub cut parts with lemon half.
2
Fill large pot with 2 inches water, and add bay leaf and garlic clove. Squeeze juice from lemon halves into water, and place steamer basket in pot. Set artichokes top down in steamer basket, cover, and bring water to a boil.
3
Reduce heat to medium, and steam artichokes, covered, 45 to 50 minutes, or until a bottom leaf from each base pulls away easily. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve with a dipping sauce, if desired.
It's a bit time consuming to trim the artichokes, but with practice you'll be able to prepare them for cooking in no time at all.
If you're serving artichokes to someone who is eating them for the first time, show them how to scrape the tender leaves against their teeth to remove the sweet artichoke flesh. Warn them about the thorny "choke" which should be scooped out with a spoon. Underneath the choke sits the large area of soft meat called the heart. This delicious chunk can be cut into bite-size pieces and enjoyed with or without sauce or butter.
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