The artichoke is a strange looking edible thistle that’s famous for its green petals and cone-like shape, but perhaps is best known for its ability to intimidate even the most confident home cook. There has always been something about artichokes that scared me. How do I trim them? Am I trimming too much? How do I stop them from turning brown? What parts can I even eat?
For a while I let these fears get the best of me, even a lesson in artichoke trimming in culinary school left me feeling nervous. With the onset of spring and the sudden bounty of artichokes in the market I decided it was high time I got over my fear of artichokes and gave them another try. I spotted what seemed like a simple recipe in a Le Creuset cookbook I have that incorporated my favorite flavors (lemon, garlic, wine, thyme) and suggested using baby artichokes.
Friends, baby artichokes are the perfect way to get over your fear of preparing artichokes. These small thistles are easier to work with than regular-sized artichokes because they don’t have a hairy choke in the center that needs to be removed and almost all of their leaves are edible. All you have to do is peel back a few leaves, trim the stalk, and chop off the top 1/3 and they are ready to go.
The baby artichoke is actually not any younger than a regular-sized artichoke. It even comes from the same plant that bears the large, one pound gems you find in the market. An artichoke plant can send up a variety of different sized stalks, some large, some medium, and some small. Because their leaves are less meaty than the larger artichokes, you can often find them for far less money, especially between March and May when they’re in season.
Here is a step by step photo guide to preparing baby artichokes to help ease your fear of these delicious and tender vegetables.
Step 1: Peel back the first 2 or 3 layers of tough petals, carefully ripping them off.
Step 2: Cut off the tip of the stalk, leaving about 1/3. Then, using a peeler, peel away the tough fibrous layers leaving a thin stalk.
Step 3: Slice off the top 1/3 of the artichoke, which removes the pointy tips on the petals.
Step 4: If desired, cut the baby artichoke in half for quicker cooking. It can also be baked or steamed whole.
Step 5: Place trimmed artichokes immediately in a bowl of acidulated water (water and lemon juice) to prevent them from browning.
Once your artichokes are soaking in acidulated water, you can take your time and get ready to prepare them however you wish. I will be posting a recipe using baby artichokes from my latest Weekend Warrior column next, so stay tuned for a simple and delicious way to enjoy them.
If you can’t locate baby artichokes, or prefer to use the larger artichokes, the same rules apply as above, with the exception that you have to remove the hairy choke in the center. I have found this is easiest to do after cooking them, but for now, I’m sticking with the babies! Let me know if you have any other helpful tips for working with artichokes in the comments section below.
Tara O'Keeffe
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