Category: Artichoke Dish

Marta Giralt Pujol has given us some of her recipes for artichoke hearts – the tender bits at the centre of globe artichokes.

Harvest the artichokes before they grow too big and before the top leaves start opening. Harvest the artichokes with about 15 cm of stem. Stems are edible and quite tasty; you simply need to peel the outer skin.

Peeling the Artichokes

• Sharp short knife
• Water
• Ice cubes
• A bunch of parsley or a lemon or water with a bit of flour.
• Optionally, gloves as artichokes may stain if peeling loads of them

Fill a bowl with ice cubes, then add the bunch of parsley torn in two or squeeze the lemon in the water or do both. The lemon may leave more flavour than the parsley so use whichever you prefer. If you cook the artichokes quickly this step its not necessary.

Cut the stem, leaving about 8 cm with the artichoke. Remove any leaves left in the stem. Holding the artichoke with the tip away, use a sharp short knife to cut downwards from under the second level of leaves (counting from the base). Start cutting downwards from under the leaves then turn the knife 90 ° and keep turning the artichoke to cut the rest in the same movement. The exterior thick leaves can also be peeled from the bottom of the globe up. Either way it´s easier than peeling the leaves one by one. Cut the top of the interior leaves with a single horizontal cut. Peel the outer layers of the stem. If you want to remove any hairs (the ‘choke’) cut them out with a spoon or a melon baller. Keep the artichoke hearts in the bowl with water and parsley until they are ready to cook. Or use them quickly.

The pictures show clearly how to do it.

Cut the outer leaves from the bottom of the globe. If you find it hard peel the stem first, but I like to do it last because the stem turns black very quickly.

Keep peeling the darker outer leaves around the globe.

Here, the outer harder leaves have been removed.

Cut the tips off the remaining leaves.

Peel the outer layers of the stem (this stem is brown because this artichoke had been in water for too long while I was finding time for the pictures)

That’s it!

Marta Giralt Pujol

• Peeled artichokes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Optional: Serrano ham cubes (if you find them in the UK) or serrano ham strips

Pat the artichokes dry with a kitchen towel and slice them in half or quarters.

Optionally, pre-cook the artichokes using a microwave or boiling for 5 min. This step is not essential, but the artichokes will be more tender inside by the end of the recipe. To cook in a microwave, place the artichokes in a plate slightly oiled, cover with a bowl or the microwave plate cover. Cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes, depending on the size.

Add olive oil to a small pan. Add enough to cover all the surface of the pan with a good thickness of olive oil. Heat the olive oil and add the artichokes turning from time to time. Add the ham (if any) and cook for a bit more until the artichokes have changed colour or browned to your taste. Lift them out and remove any excess oil with a paper towel.

Salt to taste and enjoy!

Marta Giralt Pujol

• Artichoke hearts
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pomegranate peas

Mix olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste in a bowl. Slice the raw artichoke hearts thinly and add them to the olive oil and lemon juice. Mix well and ensure the mix covers the artichokes.

Place the artichoke heart slices flat in a plate and add the pomegranate peas, grated Parmesan and grated lemon peel.

Marta Giralt Pujol

• Artichoke peelings and stems
• Water
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Optionally, serrano ham in small strips or bread croutons.

Boil the leftovers from peeling the artichokes long enough so that they are tender. Blend with a blender and remove any fibres with a strainer. Add salt to taste. (Fry the serrano ham in a bit of olive oil so that it becomes crispy.)

Serve the soup in a bowl with a swirl of olive oil and the Serrano ham or croutons on top.

Marta Giralt Pujol

Globe artichokes are coming on nicely at the moment (mid May).  Instead of waiting for them to get enormous, this is how I’ve been cooking them:

Pick them young and tender.

Cut of the top third, and take of several layers of ‘leaves’.

Cut them in two. There is no choke at this stage.

Boil in wine/water+lemon juice or vinegar for about 10 minutes. Dress them with vinegar or whatever.

Eat!

From Rosie Hall

Globe artichokes have always been one of my favorite treats. I like the taste, of course, but I really love the leisurely ritual of eating them, nibbling the flesh off the base of each leaf, with lots of gaps for conversation in between (if you are not too greedy!).

In our part of the world they are ready to pick through June and July, when they have swollen to their full size, but before they get too thistle-ish. The internet has lots of fancy artichoke recipes, and even tutorials on eating them, but I like the simple way: cover them in water and boil them. You can tell when they are ready by poking a fork into the stem. Then see if one of the lower leaves pulls of easily. Cooking might take 15 minutes for younger ones, or longer when they are older.

No need to trim the tips off the leaves unless they are prickly.

Drain them well and serve with something to dip the leaves in. I like mayonnaise or melted butter best, but some people prefer hollandaise or olive oil and vinegar, etc. Keep pulling and nibbling leaves until you get near the centre. Then clear the last bits, including the fluffy stuff (the choke) away from the heart, which is the fleshy disk attached to the stem. A couple more bites, and it is all gone!

Artichokes do interesting things to the taste of other foods eaten with them. I always liked to experiment with this as a child. I still do, sometimes.

Joe Foster