Steamed Artichokes

Artichokes are primarily in season and available in Northeast stores from March through June, with peak freshness between March and May. A smaller, second harvest often appears in October. While available year-round, they are best and most abundant during these spring months, often sourced from California.

A fun way to serve artichokes is to serve them whole. To eat, pull off one of the leaves, dip in the lemon butter, and scrap the tender part of the leaf off with your teeth. Toss the tougher part away. Be sure to remove the choke at the center of the leaves (a spoon works well) before eating the artichoke heart.

1 artichoke per person
Butter
Fresh lemon wedges

Wash and clean the artichokes removing the small bitter leaves near the stem. Cut off the end of the stem. Then using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer layer of the stem. It’s very tough and you can actually eat the stem…it’s delicious! So peel off that exterior. Some people cut off the tops of the leaves to remove the prickers at the end, but I don't bother. It gives you more leaf to hang onto.

Steam until the heart of the artichoke is tender. This will take 20 to 40 minutes, depending on their size, but can vary from 25 to 35 minutes for medium artichokes and up to 60 minutes for jumbo ones. 

When ready to serve, melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter per person. Pour into small dipping bowls and squeeze in a touch of lemon juice. Serve on the side of the artichoke providing a large enough plate, or an extra plate, for the leftover leaves that are too tough to eat.

To eat, pull off the leaves one by one and dip it into the lemon butter. Pull the base of leaf through slightly clenched teeth to strip off the meat with your teeth. You won’t get a whole lot out of the outer leaves, but as you work your way towards the center, the leaves become more tender and you’ll get more flesh from them. When you get to the choke (the fuzzy, inedible hair-like center that sits atop the heart), take a spoon and scoop out the choke until you just have the artichoke heart and stem left. You can now eat the heart and stem, the best part!