How to Boil Artichokes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 86kcal
Here's a crash course on artichokes! Learn how to choose the best artichokes, how to prepare and cook them, and finally, I'll show you how to serve and eat this mysterious vegetable.
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Ingredients
- 2 whole artichokes Note 1
- 1 lemon
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
To prepare artichokes:
- Rinse artichokes under cold water.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut off the third of the artichoke from the top, trim off the stem, leaving about an inch of stem, and remove smaller leaves on the bottom.
- Using kitchen shears, snip off the thorny tops of the leaves. Now, rub a cut lemon half all over the cut side of the artichokes to prevent oxidation and discoloration.
To cook artichokes:
- Fill a large pot with cold water.Add prepared artichokes, lemon halves, garlic, salt, pepper and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiled, reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer until artichokes are nice and tender, 35-45 minutes, depending on the size.
- To check for doneness, pull one of the larger leaves and if it detaches easily, then artichokes are done.
To remove the hairy "choke":
- Cool slightly and remove all the leaves. Arrange them on a serving platter. You'll get to the heart of the artichoke underneath hairy choke.
- To remove the "choke", gently slide a spoon under the hairy choke and scrape it off. I find it easier to cut the heart in half and then scrape off the choke. (TIP: Read the post above for another method of removing the choke.)
To serve and eat artichokes:
- Cut the artichoke heart into small pieces and serve along with the leaves and melted butter or dipping sauce of choice. (My favorite is garlic aioli.)
- Dip the bottom part of the leaf in a dipping sauce, or melted butter. Then place it in your mouth and slide it out of your mouth, pulling it through your bottom teeth to remove the pulp from the leaves. Discard the remaining petal. Continue until all the leaves have been enjoyed!
Notes
Note 1:
- Choose artichokes that are heavy for their size and the leaves are tight and not shriveled.
- Avoid light artichokes with shriveled leaves, because they're most likely dried out and old. And they won't have much flesh to enjoy!
- Also, artichokes are in season from March to June and September to October. That means it's the best time to enjoy them! Storing Tips:
Refrigerate leftover cooked artichokes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Choose artichokes that are heavy for their size and the leaves are tight and not shriveled.
- Avoid light artichokes with shriveled leaves, because they're most likely dried out and old. And they won't have much flesh to enjoy!
- Also, artichokes are in season from March to June and September to October. That means it's the best time to enjoy them! Storing Tips:
Refrigerate leftover cooked artichokes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Servings: 1 artichoke
Calories: 86kcal
Carbohydrates: 21g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 3g
Sodium: 7099mg