How
to Cook Artichokes
So
many people ask us how to cook artichokes, that we decided to tell
you exactly how to cook artichokes to perfection.
Many
people are put off from cooking an artichoke just by looking at
the fearsome plant! But actually, they're very easy to prepare.
Here's
one of the best ways to cook an artichoke to perfection:
| 1. |
Cut
off the the tip of the stem |
| 2. |
Some
people like to cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke. However,
this is unnecessary if you're just after a quick snack. However,
if presentation is important to you for a dinner party or suchlike,
then this is something you can do to get rid of the thorns. |
| 3. |
Place
the artichokes in a large pot -- ideally so they are standing
on their stems. |
| 4. |
Fill
the pot with water about 2/3 up the way of the artichoke. |
| 5. |
Now
simply boil (I told you it was easy!), you may need to continually
top up the water ever so often. |
| 6. |
Depending
on the size of the artichoke it can take 20-30 min to be fully
cooked |
| 7. |
A
good rule of thumb to tell if it done is that "if a leaf
can be easily pulled off its ready" |
| 8. |
Remember
to drain out the water from inside the artichoke by tipping
it upside down. |
How
to eat artichokes
OK, now for
the fun part!
To
eat your artichoke, take off each leaf -- starting at the base of
the artichoke -- dip it in melted garlic or rosemary butter and
pull the base of the leaf through your teeth to scrape off the edible
portion. Discard the rest of the leaf.
As
you move up the artichoke, the leaves become more tender, until
you finally reach the "hairy" choke (the undeveloped flower).
Removing the choke leaves you with the tasty artichoke heart!
How
to freeze artichokes
To
freeze cooked artichokes for later, first drain and dry them, then
wrap them tightly in foil and pack them in airtight freezer bags
or containers.
They'll
last like that for six to eight months.
So,
there you go -- how to cook artichokes AND how to freeze them. Now
check out our artichoke recipe pages to find out how you can include
them in a tasty meal!
|
