There are two main basic methods for cooking artichoke: boiling or steaming.
PREPARING THE ARTICHOKE: Chop off about a half-inch from the top of the artichoke. Also remove any extra stem, leaving about an inch or so at the bottom. With a pair of kitchen shears, snip off the barbed tip of each leaf.
BOILING: Bring a large pot of salted water (enough to cover the artichoke) to boil. Add some lemon juice to the water, which will help the artichoke keep its color. You can also add some white wine, bay leaf, and/or garlic if you’d like to impart a little flavor to the artichoke. Put your artichoke in upright with the stem side down (the stem is the thickest part of the artichoke and you therefore want it closest to the heat source), cover and boil away for 30-40 minutes (although it can take as long as 75) depending on the size of your artichoke and how many you’ve got in there. Your artichoke is done when it’s easy to insert a knife in the stem.
STEAMING: Bring about 3 inches of salted water to boil in a pot. You can flavor it with the aforementioned lemon juice, white wine, bay leaf, and/or garlic. Squirt a little lemon juice over your artichoke. Insert a vegetable steamer into the pot and put your artichoke in, stem down, and cover. Steam it for 30-40 minutes (although this too can take as long as 75), depending on the size of your artichoke and how many you’ve got in there. Your artichoke is done when it’s easy to insert a knife in the stem.
EATING: Let your artichokes cool off so you can handle them. Pluck the leaves from the flower, dip them in sauce (I recommend melted butter, straight mayonnaise, curried mayonnaise (just add a little curry powder), or shallot sauce–but you can eat them plain if you so desire), and place them, root end first so you’re holding the snipped end, inside your mouth. Scrape the inside of the leaf off with your bottom teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf. Work your way to the core of the artichoke until you reach the cream-colored fiberous part (called the “choke”). Using a knife or spoon, dig the fibers out and discard. You’ll be left with the artichoke heart–the creme de la creme. Cut it up and dip that in the sauce and enjoy.
