Artichoke Time
It's May and that means it is Artichoke season. I have passion for this gorgeous green flower that even I don't understand. I think it all began when I used to eat them as a kid at my grandmothers house. They were always steamed and served whole with droves of hot Garlic Butter on the side for dipping. I ate every leaf and scraped them clean with my little teeth. When I finally reached the tiny purple leaves inside, my mother would clear the heart of the prickly choke so it didn't hurt me. I'm not quite sure if I even knew what the flavor was in so much as I was mostly interested in the entertainment value of the Vegetable itself. A food that I got to play with that had a ritual of dipping and eating with my hands?! Well this was like a little food creatrix-to-be fantasy come true. Taste wouldn't matter anyway, as it was the Garlic Butter that was important. The heart at the end was like a prize, almost a Veggie version of Cracker Jack or a Kinder Egg and hitting the jack pot every time at a slot machine.
Flash forward to adulthood and I am still smitten. I will order them in any restaurant they are on the menu of just to see how the chef prepares them. My favorite preparation is the Italian Carchofi a la Giueda - the entire flower fried to a crisp. Not the healthiest of choices, but when done perfectly, they absorb little of the Olive Oil. I am quite content with a shaved Raw Artichoke Salad with a squeeze of Lemon juice and a bit olive oil. Most people enjoy a few slivers of freshly grated Parmesan, but Ill skip that most of the time.
