Globe Artichokes
GLOBE ARTICHOKES
Many of you will have some globe artichokes in your box this week which are UK grown and very spikey - not so surprising since they are part of the thistle family! So please take care.........
You can identify your artichokes because they look like this:
....and you can cook them like this:
Basic preparation:
Remove the tough outer leaves from the artichokes and plunge into boiling water with some lemon juice. You can put some garlic and chilli in the water too if you would like to spice the flavour up a little. They should take about 20-30 minutes to cook - you can tell when they are ready, because the leaves are easily detatched and when prodded with a skewer, they yield like cooked potatoes. Remove them from the water and let them drain (upside down in a colander) to dry off.
Whilst they are cooking in the water, prepare something lovely as a dip - some ideas:
Garlic with melted butter
Vinaigrette (1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp mustard of your choice, salt, freshly ground pepper, pinch of sugar)
Once drained, serve whole. Eat by pulling off and eating the individual petals, dipping in the sauce, and scraping the succulent part of the petals with your teeth. When you get to the round area at the base, scoop out the fuzzy top layer and enjoy the heart!
Give it a go - tastes fantastic
