Vegetable: Artichoke

See also:
How to prepare and cook an artichoke

Benito's Deep Fried Artichokes
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
Juice of 1 lemon
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Handful of peppercorns
3 large artichokes
Grapeseed or canola oil for deep frying

• Bring about 3 litres of water to the boil in a large pot with the lemon juice, bay leaves, a teaspoon or so of sea salt and peppercorns.
• Drop in the artichokes. If necessary, add more water to just cover them.
• Cook until they are tender but still a little firm to the touch when pierced with a fork at the stem end, about 15 minutes.
• Remove artichokes from heat with cooking tongs and let them cool slightly.
• Remove outer leaves from artichokes, cut off 1/4 inch (1/2cm) from the stem and tip ends, then cut each heart vertically into 4 pieces (or into 'wedges' if the artichoke is particularly large).
• Scoop out and discard the central choke and feathery fibres.
• Refrigerate the pieces. Fill a wok or deep pan with about 3 inches (8cm) of oil and heat to sizzling.
• Deep-fry 2 to 3 artichoke pieces at a time for a few minutes. They will puff up as they cook.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with additional sea salt.