My garden has an abundance of artichokes at the moment. That means, I am happy eating artichokes for dinner almost every night! After so many rounds of cooking up artichokes at home, I have discovered some hacks and tips to make the whole process a bit simpler. Read on for my advice on how to prepare artichokes!
Health Benefits of Artichokes
A fitness trainer once told me that eating half an artichoke is like eating 2 cups of vegetables. Why? Because artichokes contain so many nutrients! Such as…
- High in fiber
- Good source of vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Folate
- Magnesium
- Low in calories
Due to these nutrients, sources like this claim that artichokes can have many health benefits.
- Artichokes may lower cholesterol
- May help blood pressure
- Can also improve digestive health
- May help blood sugar
How to Prepare Artichokes
Cut off the end of the stem. Also cut about two inches off the top. When cutting the artichoke, be sure to have a lemon on hand. I like to rub the freshly cut parts of the raw artichoke with lemon to prevent oxidation. Similar to avocados or apples, artichokes oxidize quickly!
Further, some of the tools I like to use when preparing artichokes are:
- Serrated Knife
- Kitchen Scissors
- Paring Knife
You can steam, grill, or sauté artichokes. Personally, I prefer to steam them. After cutting up and preparing my artichokes, I throw them into a large pot with about an inch of boiling water. After that, I reduce the heat so that the water is instead at a simmer. Then I had in half a lemon, rind and all. I also add about a tablespoon of olive oil. From there, I steam the artichokes for 45 minutes. The result is a deliciously tender vegetable!
How to Eat Artichokes
After the artichokes have cooked, allow them to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, length-wise. Then, remove the inedible choke out of the center. Since they are cooked, this will be easy. You can easily scoop it out with a spoon.
Be sure to always remove the choke, because it is not edible.
After the choke is removed, you are ready to eat your artichoke!
When eating artichokes, start by removing the outer bottom leaves scrape the edible part off with your teeth. As you work your way to the inner leaves, they will become more tender and have more of that edible part. The innermost leaves are typically so tender, that you can eat the whole thing. Once you have consumed the leaves, you have now made it to the heart of the artichoke. It is so tender and so delicious. The best part! The stem also has a similar texture and flavor to the heart.
You can enjoy them with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
How to Prepare Artichokes
If you liked this recipe, then be sure to check out my blog, here. For even more recipes, check out my award winning cookbook, on Amazon.
How to prepare artichokes
Equipment
- 1 serrated knife
- 1 kitchen scissors
- 1 small paring knife
- 1 large bowl
- 1 large pot with a lid
- tongs
Ingredients
- 4 artichokes
- 2 lemons divded use
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided uses
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut one lemon in half.
- Rinse your artichokes under cool water.
- Using a paring knife, cut off the brown end of the stem of the artichoke. Rub lemon on the freshly cut part to prevent oxidation.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the top 2 inches off the artichoke. Use kitchen scissors to cut the tops off any leaves your serrated knife could not get to. Once finished, immediately rub the freshly cut top with lemon. Your artichoke is now prepared for cooking.
- Place the prepared artichoke in a large bowl of cool water, and a squeeze of lemon. Let it rest there as you repeat the process with the remaining artichokes. Transfer each artichoke into the bowl of water once you have prepared them.
- Add 2 inches of fresh water to a large put of water. Bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower it to a simmer. Add lemon juice, and the lemon rind. Also, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the prepared artichokes into the pot. Cover with a lid. Allow the artichokes to steam for 45 minutes.
- Once the artichokes have cooked, the stems will be fork tender. Allow them to cool. Once cool, cut the artichokes in half, lengthwise.
- Scoop out the inedible choke with a spoon. Discard.
- Place artichokes in a large salad bowl. Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.
- Enjoy!
