The ART of CHOKE

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Can we just say D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s?!?!? Because the veggie of the week was a goodie. I will confess I have been a fan of artichokes in the past, but those artichokes have been hidden in a dip, with a salad, or on a pizza. This means the hard work had been done for me and just leaving me the tangy flavor. The artichoke as been quite the enigma to me. I had heard stories that you couldn't eat the leaves, that there are pricklies to avoid, and that the delicious heart of the artichoke is well hidden. Let me tell you these stories are completely true. I am also going to say yes it can be quite the production to get the veggie prepared. But it is WELL WORTH the wait!!! Have you seen an artichoke? They are quite intriguing. Some really could be used as artwork as they look like a fun sculpture. Maybe that's why artichokes start with "art" :) The sizes range from a ping pong ball to a huge softball or perhaps a big grapefruit. Our artichokes were a little bigger than a baseball. Then imagine a deep forest green color and the shape of pinecone. The artichoke is just leaf layered upon leaf. Then most leaves appear to hold a tiny solitary needle at the very point of the leaf. This is because the artichoke is actually an overgrown thistle. Yikes right? No need to worry. The prickly can be intimidating, but we can easily win this battle. Big universal tips when picking out produce. You can read these tips in most literature, web information, or just acquired knowledge. Choose heavy produce items. If you pick up a squash, an eggplant, or an artichoke and you think wow this weighs a lot more than it looked , put that produce in your cart. That weight tends to be flavor. If the produce gives you the opposite reaction, "Wow that is as light as a feather." Put the vegetable or fruit down and walk away. The light factor can be the produce did not develop or that dried up. Either way, not tasty. Also look for appearance. Do the colors look inviting, stand out, draw attention? That means the nutrients are alive and well. That food is going to have flavor. If there is a darkness, a haze, or a fuzzy coat (Kiwis are from the tropics they deserve their fuzzy coat :), that produce is not worth your time because they are past their prime. Now preparing these delights does take some effort, but there will be fun in the consuming I promise!!! You can cook artichokes in a variety of ways. But it is highly suggested as they are such a hearty thistle to either steam or boil before applying the "final flavor". You can even microwave them. Boiling you lose nutrients which means you are also cooking out some of the flavor. Steaming allows you to hold in your flavor and maintain the health benefits. We ate barbequed artichokes. Mmmmmm goood! I pulled out our fun little steamer basket. Which honestly I don't remember using before. But will be pulled out more often now that I have figured out the contraption. After I uncurled the peaces I placed water to boil in the pan and covered it with the steaming basket. Now the directions on the steaming basket remind users do not lose the water. Maintain the level of boiling water. I remember specifically asking my hubby who would not pay attention and would let the pot run dry. And he so nicely reminded me that the basket will cover the pot so it is easy to forget and not pay complete attention to the water level. Pish posh I am becoming quite the cook who can create smoke haze. Ummm yeah I'm the novice that they write those simple reminders specifically for. Yup because I scorched the bottom of our very nice pan. I scrubbed and scrubbed the layer of char. It is soaking as we speak. So yes steaming is easy, especially with the fun little basket. BUT DON'T FORGET TO MAINTAIN WATER LEVEL!!! Just speaking from experience. The steaming can take 25 to 50 minutes from what I read. The fork will tell you. If you can pierce it easily you have completed stage one. Before you steam you should rinse your artichokes and cut off the top third. I strongly recommend if you don't already have one, purchase a big, strong, and heavy knife. A rinky dink paring knife will be your nemesis against this hearty plant. Remember you have layers upon layers of leaves to cut through or more accurately, saw through. This exposes your "heart". Some articles also suggest that you trim up your leaves and cut off that prickly tip. It's just a suggestion, but does not affect the flavor or the edible facor or your choke. I'm kind of wimp so I didn't want to take chances with eating a thorny thistle. The trimming is kind of fun. You are making the produce attractive, easier to enjoy, and the activity has a soothing rhythm to it. I also chose to cut off the stems that left me an even base to steam the artichokes. Www.oceanmist.com recommends of only trimming the stem as it can be quite flavorful and that you can steam either base down or base up. After the artichokes are steamed, any cooking method is correct. I found an easy marinade that gave the tangy a rich brightness. But you could even enjoy the artichokes once steamed. Dips are encouraged. After letting the artichoke pick up the marinade's flavors I pulled out our trusty grill pan. Love this piece of our cooking arsenal. We've only owned the pan for maybe four months and have used it on a weekly basis. I placed the yummy leaves in the grill pan until it reached a mild char on both sides (six minutes each side for mine). Then it was placed on our dinner plates and the festivities could begin. As you take a bite there is a manly, dainty way to attack the leaves. The leaves are both what you eat and yet remain inedible. Take a leaf and scrape it with your teeth. The masculinity of eating with your bear hands is quite thrilling. And yet, by closing your teeth and dragging the leaf through. It feels dainty to eat without the munching and the crunching. The artichoke blended the flavors really well together and picks up great taste through it's leaves. The tanginess factor seems to blend fairly easily towards spicy or sweet. Definitely a favorite. Please experiment and experience all that you can on your HealthFULL Journey. Fear compounds too easily. So, make choices, discover your options, and fully embrace what at first appears challenging. 'Til we meeet again. . .