I've always had a bit of a fascination-from-a-far with artichokes. They're just plain cool looking, and I'm into that. But, at the same time, they're a little intimidating, yes?
Well, when I saw them at the store early last week my curiosity overcame my fear, and I learned a) if you can boil water you can make artichokes, and b) they are freaking awesome.
Seriously, you just give them a trim, and throw them in some boiling water with a little lemon juice for thirty or forty minutes. (Here's a video that makes it super clear.) I haven't tried it yet myself, but Nice Dad says you can also steam them in the microwave. Again, just trim them all up, put them in a bowl with a little water, and let them cook for a few minutes, or until it's easy to pull out one of the inside leaves.
You can just dip the leaves in mayo or butter--you just eat the white part at the bottoms of the leaves by scraping it off between your teeth. I went a few steps further and made mine into Eggs Benedict. (Here's the recipe, but you have to poke around--go to "Recipes and Such", then "Recipes", then scroll down). The artichoke subs in for the English muffin, and the eggs and hollandaise make the best little dipping sauce ever.
