Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Defoliation

Ever eaten artichoke? Not from a jar? Sounds scary? Here's how!


Buy an artichoke with nice green leaves (no blackened ones) and cut the stem off right under the blossom. Place in a pot and add water, such that the artichoke does just not start swimming. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Depending on the size of your artichoke, simmer for 25-40 min. You can test if it is done by taking it out of the pot and testing if the lowest leaves come off easily. They should.

While the artichoke is in the pot, make some kind of dip. I usually do a thick salad sauce, approximately like this:

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • some salt and pepper
  • 1-2 teaspoons mustard (medium spicy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dandelion honey

When the artichoke is ready, take it out, let the water drip off, and place it on a plate. You might want to throw away the first leaves, but it depends on your artichoke. Dip the leaves in the sauce and use your front teeth to scrape the lowest, edible part from the leaf.



The leaves become thinner and thinner towards the center. Finally, you'll end up at the hairy center. I do not recommend eating it - the artichoke is a thistle, after all! Scrape it off with a knife.



If you had a really big artichoke, it might be necessary to remove a bit of fibrous material from the bottom of the remaining part at this stage. Then cut into little chunks, dip them in the sauce and enjoy the best part of the whole thing. Bon appétit!

3 comments:

  1. Halleluja, danke für die Idee mit der dicken Salatsauce! Ich benutze normal gern Avocadocreme, befürchte aber dass meine Artischocke komplett welk ist bevor die nächste Avocado weich genug wird. Das Abendessen ist gebongt.

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  2. Sevenin, ich tu auch gerne etwas Hafersahne oder gar Ketchup rein, je nach Laune :D

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