Vegetable: Artichoke

See also:
Deep fried artichoke

How to prepare and cook an artichoke
1 artichoke per person
Cooking time: 45 mins

INGREDIENTS
Cold water
2 lemons
artichokes

• Have a large bowl at hand, containing cold water and the juice and rind of two lemons. Salt water will do instead of lemon juice.
• Cut the bottom off the artichoke to make a flat base.
• With a serrated or very sharp knife, cut off the spiky, fibrous leaves at their tips (to about 2cm or 1 inch down).
• Keep them in the bowl with lemon juice until you're ready to cook them as they are very prone to discolouration.
• To cook them either half fill a sauce pan, squeeze lemon juice over the top (or sprinkle with salt water) and boil for about 45 mins. Alternatively you can steam them for about 45 minutes, checking from time to time that the bottom pan isn't boiling dry.
• When you can pull one of the outer leaves easily, you know your artichokes are ready.
• Place them upside down in a drainer and leave for a few minutes.
• Eat them when they have cooled by tearing the leaves off with your fingers and scraping the flesh at the lower end of the leaves with your teeth. As you get nearer the centre, you'll find that more of the leaf is edible.
• A simple but traditional addition is to dip the leaves in mayonnaise, vinaigrette or melted butter.
• Eventually you'll reach the 'choke' (the inedible fuzzy centre), and the heart (attached the bottom of the choke). Discard the choke and eat the heart - it's delicious and tender.