eating artichokes.
 

i love them.

if i had to pick one; eating an entire artichoke has to be the worst 1st date food EVER. just not sexy.

okay, maybe an Ethiopian meal would be worse. anything eating with hands.

i'm not talking about a nicely trimmed out artichoke heart. this is the entire thistle..

yum. i eat them plain. no dip of any kind. you?

Yum, I grow them in my garden. I think of them as little spoons for mayonnaise

Are they actually food? ;)

hahhaha..i am gonna tell my wife your line. she is a mayo fan.

99% of the time what I have is hearts (and love them). But I have had the non-heart bits at least once or twice. I know my wife made some sort of baked artichoke thing. And I feel like I've had them once or twice otherwise. I feel like they are like crab legs, a lot of work for not a lot of food. I'm sure I'd feel different if I was starving. They are good though.

You peel a leaf and just eat the soft bottom end, right?

How's the fasting going? I feel like artichokes might be like super fasting, more work than the benefit that you get from them.

Funny you would call it a bad first date food.

Back in the olden days in the early 1980s I had a buddy room mate. We both got new girls from contacts that were "setups" and we agreed to cook for the girls on a double date at our duplex. We had artichokes and fried chicken. Neither girl had even seen an artichoke and had no idea what to do. Lots of eating with fingers and napkins used. We all had a great time and laughed a lot. It worked out great for my room mate and I.

I don't think I even thought of that night since your post. It has only been 40 years. :eek:

I stuff them and steam them, itialian style cause thats what I am...well, half anyway

while i love them, i find preparing them is more trouble than they are worth. They were better when my grandma made them for me and i didnt have to do the work

I eat them at least 4 times a month when in season.

I steam them for 25 minutes and then cut them lengthwise, scoop out the choke and grill them, basting with garlic and olive oil.

Then the Wife takes some mayo and mixes in some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano.

It's similar to an appetizer served at The Old Fisherman's Grotto on the wharf in Monterey. Not too far from Castroville so I figure they know what's good for artichokes.

I don’t cook them but when I can find artichoke hearts and stems in olive oil, preferably from Italy, I am quite happy with those. The really good ones are exceptional. I generally don’t like them seasoned, or in a vinaigrette.

Same here. I on the other hand love making them. Brings back great memories and I can over stuff them.

The local supermarket has grilled hearts with stems at the salad bar. I will buy one or two as a snack from time to time.

Last trip to California a few years back we stopped at an artichoke farm they had a van that cooked them different ways right there. I think with a may garlic, aioli sauce. What ever the sauce they were great.

Now I am slavating.

i have one that is slightly under-steamed. i am going to do this tonight!! im grilling my wife a porkchop anyways, and the grill will be hot.

thanks.

Artichokes sold at the supermarket aren't worth the time, expense or taste. I can remember when I liked them, but I won't buy them anymore. I like the meat on the end of the leaves and offer the heart to anyone that wants it.

Once you try it that way you'll never go back. Makes them much easier to eat and tastes great!

1000%.

My family is from the Bay Area and I have had them all my life in many forms, mostly as "spoons" (I love that) for a multitude of sauces.

This weekend and we will try your suggestions...ok, my wife will!

I trim the tops and stem about an inch or so and put them in my Instant Pot. For sauce, I've made a few using mayonaise, but I always keep coming back to melted butter with Parmisan cheese mixed in. I've eaten them for a long time. The first time was in 1962. I was living in an apartment with two room mates. We steamed them up & ate them & proceeded to try to grind the remains in the garbage disposal. That was interesting and unsuccessful. I don't fool around with a leaf at a time. I pull off three to five, stack them up, dip them and eat the bases off.

steamed eat with melted butter

I grow them in my garden in Half Moon Bay. Not surprisingly, they thrive here. I just boil them for 40 minutes and eat them with mayo.

Can't let this thread go by without mentioning the artichoke soup at Duarte's in Pescadero. It's practically world-famous.

i vaguely remember something..i found it!!!

looks easy to make!!


https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Duartes-Cream-Artichoke/

Genius! That's obviously the secret that I've been missing.

i cut off the stems, clean/trim them a little and put in the pot at the bottom with cloves of garlic when i steam the stuffed artichokes . they get soft and are my favorite part.