Artichokes - Globe

[aka-Flippa]

I have a globe artichoke that was in the garden when we moved here....
I've never had anything to do with them before except on an antipasto platter!!! I didn't think much of them done that way....... ie marinated & in oil.

Two questions....
When are they supposed to be harvested??
My plant is sending up several 'heads' and I don't want to leave them to late in case they go past their best.

Does anyone have any nice recipes??
I have a couple from me 'mate' Jamie Oliver showing me how to prepare the lil beasties, but wondered if anyone here had a tried & true yummy way to cook 'em.

[Wombat]

Sorry AKA-Flippa,

I have only tried them a couple of times and not found them worth the effort - even when prpeared by someone who knew what they were doing!

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

You are so lucky - the only time I tried to grow them they didn't survive the winter and you weren't allowed to let more than one head develop the first year!

My favourite way with globe artichokes is just to cook them in boiling water and eat the base of the leaves dipped in melted salted butter - then you cut the choke off and eat the heart. Ooooh divine!

I've also had artichoke soup in Greece with big chunks of the heart in an avgolemono soup base and that was scrumptious. Can't help with a recipe though although you can Google for avgolemono sauce/soup - or egg & lemon which is what it means.

[aka-Flippa]

ok then..... it looks like I'll be making Artichoke Surprise...

I might try the boiled & dipped in melted butter version...don't want to go to lots of trouble & then end up impressing the chooks with my culinary prowess.
I imagine that the chookies will still eat them even if they are a total flop with the family, so all will not be lost.

[aka-Flippa]

Well I did the Artichoke 'thing'
Steamed them & subjected the husband to "Artichoke Surprise"
Guess what......"SURPRISE!! The Artichoke patch has been converted to SPUDS...hehehehe
Have to agree with Nev.........Definitely not worth the effort!
I would love to parcel them up & send them to you MillyMollyMandy....

[Millymollymandy]

Oh well, perhaps it is an acquired taste!

Never mind, you'll get a lot more spuds for the space than you would have with artichokes, and they store a lot better too!

[Wombat]

Yep, I am sure that telling people globe artichokes are edible was someones idea of ajoke!

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

Maybe you aren't cooking them right? Have you tried them tinned (not so good but might give you an idea)? They are fabulous, but far too expensive in France, and our winters are too cold to grow them.

[julie_lanteri]

I was looking for advice on artichokes and found that thread so thought I'd revive it... I just love artichokes!

Here is how I've always had them:
The easiest way: boiled (but not soggy!) then tear each "petal" and dip the end in vinaigrette (olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper). eat the flesh, throw away the rest. When you've eaten all the "petals", remove the hairy bit and eat the stalk with the rest of the vinaigrette. Yum... I had one last time I went back home and it was like I was 12 again :)

other way: artichokes "à la barigoule" (checking grandma's recipe...) artichokes, small potatoes, grelot/baby onions, parsley or thyme, bacon, olive oil of course. The artichokes are cut in 4 and part boiled first.
They're also lovely added in stews.

Oh, one more thing, we don't really have the big green globe artichokes like the ones in Britany. They are a lot smaller (violet de provence I guess?) and there is a variety with very prickly petals...

[contadina]

I grow artichokes, which is lucky as I adore them. Pick them when the heads are still quite compact. If it looks like the heads are beginning to loosen, then eat them quickly. Here's how to prepare them http://contadina.growveg.info/2012/01/0 ... he-year-2/ and some recipes ideas http://contadina.growveg.info/2010/04/0 ... e-recipes/

[okra]

A nice globe artichoke soup

Ingredients

Hearts from 3-5 globe artichokes depending on size

Olive oil for frying

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced

4 cups of vegetable stock

A bay leaf, thyme and parsley

Black pepper and salt to taste

1/4 of a cup of milk

Method

Firstly, prepare your artichokes. Squeeze half a lemon into a large bowl of water. You will be dropping trimmed globe artichokes into this bowl to stop them from oxidising and turning brown.

Start by snapping off the artichoke leaves until you get to the fresher leaves which just pull off.

Take care when you get to the pinkish centre of the artichoke leaves, as they have sharp spines. Pull them out.

Take a knife and dig out the fuzzy choke. You will want to slice off the narrowest layer of the heart to get out all of the choke but do not cut away too much of the delicious heart.

Once the choke is out, slice off all but the last inch or so of the stem. Trim the hard green exterior of the rest of the heart. Cut away from you as you rotate the artichoke, slicing off just the hard green part and leaving the light green underneath.

To finish, slice the outside layer off the stem. Drop the heart into the bowl of water and go on to the next one.

Once all the artichokes are ready, cut them lengthwise, slice and chop.

In a large pot, add the olive oil and cook the artichoke hearts, chopped onions and chopped garlic on a medium heat until tender but not brown. Add the potatoes, stock and milk.

Add the bay leaf, thyme, parley and salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Increase heat to boil and then let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Once slightly cooled, remove and discard the bay leaf and any herb stalks. Blend the soup, adding more salt and pepper if needed to taste.

Enjoy with a nice crusty roll.

[Henwoman]

Apparently Brittany supplies 75-90% of all the artichokes eaten in France - they are grown prolifically in the area near to Roscoff. I love them and did have three plants which produced small artichokes. I buy them frequently and when my Breton neighbours came to lunch one day last summer, I served artichokes as the starter with a homemade dressing and melted butter - they said they hadn't eaten any for years and really enjoyed them too.

[oldjerry]

I've always grown loads of these as we blanche the hearts and put them under oil.
However,if you want to be really creative make some Cynara (check previous threads for Contadina's recipe),it's an aquired taste,but sadly I've aquired it!

[julie_lanteri]

received my seeds today! (violeta di chioggia)
can't wait... next year... yum yum yum... :)