I just picked it this morning, and don't really know what to do with it.Any suggestions appreciated!
davidt4,
Oct 4, 9:35pm
Boil it in salted water for about 20 minutes or until it is completely tender.Drain well, serve with hot with a small bowl of melted butter, Hollandaise sauce or cold with extra virgin olive oil.Pull the petals off by hand, dip each base into the sauce and eat the fleshy part at the base of each petal.When you get to the heart, use a teaspoon to scrape away the choke (tough strands of fibre in a circle), eat the heart.
When you get a bigger crop there are all sorts of things you can do with the hearts.Let us know when you need more suggestions.
kamitchell,
Oct 4, 10:07pm
Thanks davidt4, I have another 4 growing which will be ready in the next week or two, so keep the ideas coming!
davidt4,
Oct 4, 10:33pm
Your artichokes are much earlier than ours - we've got a few tiny buds so far.Here are a couple of dishes I make when we have a decent quantity.
Spanish Artichoke Hearts with Anchovy Vinaigrette
12 cooked artichoke hearts 12 canned anchovy fillets, drained (plus extra for garnish) 3 tab red wine vinegar juice of 1 ½ lemons 9 tab olive oil chopped parsley
Puree anchovies, vinegar and lemon juice, slowly add oil.
Pour over artichokes, garnish with extra anchovies and parsley. .- .- .- . Italian Braised Artichoke Hearts with Mint
6 artichokes, hearts only 125 ml water 1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped 2 clove garlic, finely chopped 100 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 tab red wine vinegar salt and pepper 1 c fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Put all but the mint in a pan, simmer for about 20 minutes or until completely tender.Cool and add mint.Serve cool.
uli,
Oct 20, 3:38am
bump for spring artichokes.
beaker59,
Oct 20, 4:06am
Next project plant artichokes where do I get seeds or plants!
daleaway,
Oct 21, 2:30am
King's seeds sell them. The plants do take up a lot of room, but look brilliant. Ours seem to thrive on neglect, and come up where they want to the following year if you let one form a magnificent purple thistle seedhead.
letitia,
Oct 21, 3:42am
What do they taste like!
kamitchell,
Oct 23, 7:05am
Got another 4 good sized artichokes off the plant yesterday, so will be trying the Italian braised artichokes tomorrow! Thanks again Davidt4
molly37,
Oct 23, 8:00pm
Some cooking show the this week boiled them in salted water for 40 mins, Then peeled away the outer layers leaving the heart. He then fried them gently on both sides. Never had an artichoke, but did seem a waste, possibly the outer bits your cant use. hmmm.
davidt4,
Oct 23, 8:43pm
That was Al Brown.I did wonder at the 40 minutes coking time because I've always found that artichokes are completely tender after 20 minutes, and his were really fresh.
It does seem a bit wasteful,but globe artichokes are really special.It's no more wasteful than discarding the outer leaves of a cauliflower, the husks of an ear of corn, the pods from broad beans.And the discarded parts go into the compost.Anyone who grows their own vegetables knows how much trimming has happened before veges are displayed in a shop.And as for frozen veges - imagine the waste that has happened before they end up in a plastic bag.
buzzy110,
Oct 23, 9:55pm
I have just harvested my first lot. I didn't know what to do either but I googled and followed the instructions. First off I clipped those pointy bits that hurt, off. Then I peeled away a few of the outer layers, sliced off the top and split in half, lengthwise. I scrapped out the choke with a spoon and sliced the stem off to a point I thought was edible. I steamed them for about 3 minutes and added them to my spicy lamb and preserved lemon tagine. Cooked in the oven for and hour or so and they came out beautifully. Some of the outer leaves still had to be discarded but they were lovely and creamy and had absorbed the flavours of the tagine. I've become quite a fan of artichoke but I have to find somewhere else to grow them. I think I'll dig them up and put them where our old compost used to be. That is a bit of a wasteland at present, just waiting for some attention.
davidt4,
Oct 23, 10:14pm
They do take up quite a bit of space, and they like lots of water, good drainage and plenty of potash.We've grown them successfully in rough uncultivated ground, also in big pots.It's nice to pick the buds before they form a choke and just boil them and eat them whole.
buzzy110,
Oct 23, 10:25pm
Thank you for that information. I'll file it away in my gardening scrap book. I am now certain that the site of my old compost will be perfect. And once again, thanks for the bud tip. I nipped out my broad beans like you said to do and this year I have 3 times the number of broad beans I had last year, plus a meal of tips, so all is good.
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