Snack Idea - Artichokes

I honestly have no idea how to eat or cook these as I've never had one other than in dishes already prepared for me. I'll have to look it up, thanks!

Too for me, because I am a lemony garlic fan (and probably its how my mama did it) I sliver up garlic and tuck garlic slivers between the leaves and squeeze lemon on it too!  YUMZ!!

And do not cut too much of the stem off (and make sure the stem is plump, not all shrunkeny and withery, that's how you can know that they are fresher cut, when they are supple) because the stem is the heart too! 

I get really large ones and steam them in my steamer for 30 mins. You want to see if the leaves are soft looking, then they are done.

love artichokes and can actually grow them where i live, but the farmers market ones are so good. and you are right - they take a while to eat and its sort of like chips and dip. I used to steam mine in the microwave in this one deep bowl with water which cooks them faster. have to invert it half way through.   Diane

Stopped by TJ's...they had GIANT ones for 99 cents each--good snack this evening!!!

L.

I steam em too, then pick them up and see if I can put a fork thru the bottom.  If it goes in with just a teeny bit of resistance, they're done!  I put the cut-off stems in the steam basket too, they're as good as the heart!  When I was growing up, we ate them with lemon butter.  My mom started out serving them as a side with the meal but ended up serving them as an appetiser - because when the artichokes are on the table, no one's going to be eating anything else!  When we got to the crown we would cut it up and put it in the lemon butter dish, just to soak up that buttery goodness.  What memories.

Like a fool, I walked by the artichokes at Trader Joe's yesterday.  I'm going back!