How to Cook an Artichoke
An ancient vegetable demystified
The artichokes we eat are the unopened flower buds of the artichoke thistle plant. Each plant will make several artichokes during the spring, and there is a second harvest in the late fall. This vegetable from the Mediterranean region was domesticated from the cardoon, selecting the plants to produce more and meatier flowers.
The green globe artichoke is what we are most familiar with, but artichokes come in varieties that have different sizes and colors.
Bringing them Home
When they are out of season, look out for dried edges at the cut stem and petals. Select artichokes that are heavy for their size.
Frost causes purple, brown, or blistered spots on the leaves. These frost spots designate sweeter artichokes.
How to cook an artichoke
I divide artichoke cooking into two primary methods.
The home-cook method — Cook it whole and let the eaters do the work. Let them pull the leaves with their fingers and make a little mess at the table.
The fancy-restaurant method — Your hired prep cooks get to fight through the spiny outer leaves, trimming down to the edible hearts and then a line cook, cooks the hearts, and you simply…
