Artichokes...

[2DogsFarm]

Microwave them!
Takes 10 minutes for 2 large 'chokes
Put them upside down in a microwave-safe dish and add a small amount of water to the bottom (sometimes I just use the water left after rinsing them off) cover with plastic wrap and nuke on High.

If you want to fuss a bit, halve them, clean out the fuzzy choke and grill them brushed with a little olive oil & coarse salt. Really tasty with that smoky char-grilled flavor.

I like to use salad dressing as a dip, but nothing beats melted butter

 

[Sequin]

I tried the grill, but failed that attempt. May try it again in the future though.

We love pretty much Anything done on the grill.

 

[2DogsFarm]

Grill failure?
Fire too hot?

Try indirect grilling - fire on sone side, cook on the other.
For charcoal grills just pile all the lit coals to one side, for gas light just half the burners.
It will still get hot on the unlit side, and you can move food closer to the hot side if you need to & back so it doesn't burn.

 

[Joz]

We don't have a grill, so I usually steam them... put a splash of vinegar in the water, and steam for 30-45 min.

If I have access to a grill, I steam 'em for 20-30 min, split 'em in half, dunk 'em in olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt on the cut half (or fancy smoked salt, if I have it), and smash 'em on the grill until they're charred a bit.

For dipping, I usually make a garlic aioli and an herb aioli. If you're not interested in doing it from scratch, start with a blob of mayonnaise, add a bunch of chopped garlic and herbs, and a bit of dijon mustard, and it'll be about the same thing.

After you get all the edible leaves off, pull the wee leaves off, and do your best to pull off all the fuzzy bits (there's a dimpled layer that sometimes comes off with the fuzzy part... you can eat it or not, but if you can get it started, pulling that off with the fuzzy bits is easier, as it'll keep all the fuzz together). That green "bowl" you're left with is the heart, and it is quite tasty.

If the 'choke is older, the first couple leaf layers may pull some stringy bits from the edges of the stem. Don't eat the strings, as they're unpleasant, but usually you can moosh/suck the tasty stuff off the leaf from around the strings.

 

[MaggieRae]

Quote:
Oh I disagree. They are just as good, if not better, in
A. a boat in a small, empty cove or
B. a dock on a hot summer day.

They're still good by a pool, too.

 

[LarryPQ]

Quote:
I think the key here is a body of water.

In a loch or on a dock,
On a boat or by a moat,
In a pool, they'll make you drool.

Yes I will eat them, Sam I am.

 

[MaggieRae]

Quote:
I think the key here is a body of water.

In a loch or on a dock,
On a boat or by a moat,
In a pool, they'll make you drool.

Yes I will eat them, Sam I am.

Agreed. I've never had artichoke with hummus, but I always have hummus and chips when I eat artichokes... That's good... So artichokes and hummus are good as well by affiliation?

Edited because my brain was talking faster than my fingers were typing.

 

[LarryPQ]

Does it matter?

The artichoke itself is good.
The chips are good.
The hummus is good.

I have had many a salsa where the chips are really there as a delivery method for the salsa. This is not how I feel about the 'choke & butter. They should ccompliment one another.

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What a nerd I am, waxing about the artichoke. Today I will have to go see if mine are done in the garden.