Tasty Tuesdays...How to Cook an Artichoke

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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I'm cheating a little bit here and reposting a post of mine, originally posted February 1, 2010.

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Growing up in an Italian family (I'm half Italian; hence my love for Italy & all things Italian) it was, and still is, very common for us to have artichokes as our vegetable with dinner - especially Sunday dinners.

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Just for fun, here is a photo from a trip I took to Seattle in 2001 of artichokes growing on a farm:

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In the United States, most artichokes you find in the grocery store come from Castroville, CA. They even have an Artichoke Festival there every year! You will find the best artichokes in season from March - May, but typically you can find them year round.

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You will need:

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- Fresh artichokes

- Olive oil

- Lemon juice

- Oregano

- Garlic flakes

- Salt

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Step 1: Cut off the stem of the artichoke so that it will stand upright.

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Step 2: Lay artichoke on side and cut off top 1.5" to 2" of leaves.

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.Step 3: Using kitchen shears, cut off tips of all remaining leaves.

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Your prepared artichoke will look like this:

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.Step 4: Place artichoke in pan and fill with a couple of inches of water. Bottom third of artichoke should be immersed in water. You can cook as many artichokes as you can fit in one pan, with all artichokes standing upright.

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Step 5: Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over artichoke. I don't measure - just use an amount that seems good to you! Add oregano, garlic flakes, and salt to top of artichoke. Again, no need to measure. Just use a pinch for each artichoke you are cooking.

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Step 6: Cover pot and simmer on med / high for 35 - 45 minutes. Check your pot a few times during cooking to make sure that there is still water. If the water has gotten too low, just add a little more.

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Test artichoke by pulling off a leaf. If the leaf is easily pulled off, your artichoke is finished! Remove from pan and serve.

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Eat artichoke, leaf by leaf, working from the outside in. At the very end you will get to a bunch of small fuzzy leaves. Scrape those off and you will be at the artichoke heart - this is the best part! Some people like to serve their artichokes with garlic butter or another  dip - I usually just use plain butter.

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If anyone tries cooking an artichoke for the first time, I would love to know what you think!

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Now it's your turn.  What do you cook this week?
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{ I've linked this post up to Permanent Posies and Funky Junk Interiors }