Artichoke how to | Imamother

chen

Tue, Feb 07 2006, 9:16 pm

well, if you are prepared to go through the process of checking it for bugs, which is a pain and I am not qualified to describe:

easiest way is to steam it standing upright in the pot. serve cold or hot with a simple oil-and-vinegar or melted butter dressing.

or you can cut them in half lengthwise, remove the choke, and stuff them with a mixture of breadcrumbs, butter, onion, garlic and any other spices you like and cook in thick tomato sauce.

either way you have to cut off the spiny tips of the leaves.

sarahd

Wed, Feb 08 2006, 4:33 am

According to my bug-book, it's basically impossible to check artichokes. Do you know of a method?

BTW, it's my understanding that you can't actually eat artichoke leaves; rather you sort of draw them through your teeth to squeeze out the inside meat.

chen

Wed, Feb 08 2006, 9:19 am

sarahd wrote:

BTW, it's my understanding that you can't actually eat artichoke leaves; rather you sort of draw them through your teeth to squeeze out the inside meat.

quite so. eating artichoke is very inefficient--takes forever and all you have to show for it is a pile of compost on your plate! That's why no one eats artichoke at home alone--you must have congenial company to converse with during this exercise.

The whole point of eating artichoke is getting to the heart (of the artichoke, if not of your dinner companions). Considering that in taste and texture it not unlike a potato, one questions whether or not it is worth the effort.

However, I have been told that eating artichoke makes whatever follows seem sweeter. Oddly enough, as I type, I am sensing a sort of artificial-sweetener-like sensation in my mouth. Talk about the power of suggestion...

some authorities prohibit eating anything except artichoke heart (not the leaves) because of the difficulty of checking for bugs. The Star-K lists artichoke hearts as a veg. that cannot be checked, but I believe this is a misprint, as canned artichoke hearts are available with hechsherim. I have seen stuffed artichoke served at simchas, but they may well have been made from frozen artichoke with a hechsher, not from fresh artichoke.