What does an artichoke taste like? It is tart-bitter, slightly nutty. The tastiest are small, young artichokes. After cooking, we eat it leaf by leaf until we reach the bottom, i.e. the artichoke’s heart. It is the most delicate and the best part of it. How to cook artichokes?
Artichokes or what?
Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is called green-violet closed buds with scaly leaves with fleshy bases. It belongs to the Aster family and is related, for example, to thistle (which can be seen when it blooms). It most likely comes from northern Africa, Egypt or Ethiopia (its Arabic name is al-char-schof). Perhaps the ancestor of the artichoke hosted the tables of ancient Romans and Greeks, who attributed aphrodisiac properties to the plant they called the cynar.
In Europe, in the form we know today, it appeared in the Middle Ages. Arab gardeners bred him and brought him to Spain and Italy.
How to cook
We cook them as follows: cut off the stem, then the upper part of the leaves, about 1/3 the height of the artichoke. We tear off the outer, most woody leaves. Then put in salted boiling water with the addition of lemon juice. We load (e.g. with a smaller lid, plate) and cook for 15-20 minutes. We take out and bend one of the leaves – it should easily bend. We put the leaves down so that the water drains. We tear off the leaves with our hands and eat their lower parts (e.g. soaking them in sauce). When we get to the bottom of the artichoke, we remove the hairy middle and eat the heart.
We cook artichoke hearts: we cut off the stem and external hard leaves. We cut the base flat, and then cut the flower bottom so that it covers the whole heart (it will be about 1/3 of the height of the vegetable). We put the heart in salted boiling water, weigh and cook for about 15 minutes ATTENTION! We can also steam them – 20-25 minutes. We prick with a knife and check if it is cooked. We cool and remove hairy agents.
Ingredients:
- any number of artichokes (medium-sized and underdeveloped are best)
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1 lemon juice
- liter of water
- spoon of salt
- olive oil
- finely chopped parsley
Execution:
- we proceed to work. We pour water into the pot, add lemon juice and salt
- Cut artichokes at the top at a height of about 1/3 and cut the bottom right at the base of the tail (I do not eat tails, because they have bitterness). We peel the outer leaves. He does so until the purple ones are finished and green. Cut along. There are hairs at the bottom of the flower bed. Young artichokes have few of them and I don’t pick them
- I throw each artichoke into the water immediately (they do not darken)
- cook artichokes about 10 minutes on low heat. Drain and drain
- Pour olive oil into the pan (not virgin), add artichokes and finely chopped garlic. Fry for a few moments until light brown, stirring frequently
- put on a plate, sprinkle with parsley, eventually add and sprinkle with lemon juice
- cut the best artichokes under the sun with taste
What to serve with
The cooked artichokes themselves are delicious, but it never hurts to sprinkle them with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, parsley. You can sprinkle them with walnuts or pour lemon or orange juice. Various types of dips: garlic, herbal, vinaigrette will work great. It is also worth adding a few capers. Soon, a recipe for cooked artichokes with almond dip!