I was always intimidated by artichokes, as was my mother before me and her mother before her. And like any good Italian, if Grandma didn’t make it, then neither did I. I guess that is why I never tried them until a few years ago. A lovely woman at the grocery store I was working at at the time told me how easy they were to steam and I have never looked back since! Steaming an artichoke is one of the simplest and most fantastic things I have ever done in the kitchen! The tender leaves just fall apart and the flesh of the leaves melts in your mouth. And then your reward for peeling and eating all those luscious leaves…the Heart of the Artichoke. Just thinking about it my mouth is watering!
2 large artichokes
5 Tablespoons Cucina Aurora zesty Lemon Oil
1 Tablespoon grated Romano cheese
Cut the stems off the artichokes as close to the bulb as possible.
With kitchen shears or sharp scissors, clip off all pointy spines from the leaves.
Place artichokes in a sauce pot that is large enough to hold both of them, cut stem side down, leaves pointed up.
Pour water in the pot until it is about 2 inches on the bottom.
Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Oil over each Artichoke.
Cover and cook on Medium heat for 30-45 minutes until leaves pull back gently.
Remove from pot using slatted spoon or thongs.
Mix remaining Lemon Oil and Romano cheese together and use for dipping leaves.
WARNING – DO NOT EAT LEAVES…scrape the flesh out of leaves with your teeth and dispose of the tough part of leaf.
From Ocean Mist Farms – Growers of fine artichokes:
Many people have never experienced the joy of eating an Artichoke because they never learned how to eat one. The good news is that eating an Artichoke is easy, and definitely something to be savored slowly and sumptuously.
Start by pulling off one of the outermost petals. Dip the base of the petal into your favorite sauce.
Pull the petal through your slightly clenched teeth to remove the soft, tender flesh at the bottom of the petal. Discard remainder (you’ll want to have an empty bowl ready in which to drop them).
Continue until all petals have been removed. You will now have arrived at one of the great culinary rewards: the Heart! If the fuzzy choke guarding the Heart hasn’t been removed, scoop it out with a spoon.
Cut the remaining Artichoke Heart into bite-sized pieces, dip and enjoy!
