It was not until the early twentieth century that artichokes were grown in the United States. All artichokes commercially grown in the United States are grown in California and Castroville, California, claims to be the "Artichoke Capital of the World." California even has an Artichoke Queen — the most famous queen was Marilyn Monroe in 1947. She inspired more people to eat artichokes in that year reign than any year before or after.

Artichokes are actually a flower bud - if allowed to flower, blossoms measure up to seven inches in diameter and are a violet-blue color. Artichokes are a close relative to the thistle.

Varieties

• Green Globe: year round and peaks in spring.
• Desert Globe: available from December through March and July to September.
• Big Heart: year round, with a lull in April.
• Imperial Star: year round and peaks in spring.

Selection

High-quality artichokes are usually compact and heavy for their size. Squeezed, a fresh artichoke will make a squeak. The thickness of each stalk should correspond to the size of the artichoke. Thin stalks signal dehydration, so look for stalks that are firm without “give.” 

Storage

Artichokes remain fairly constant in appearance for weeks, but flavor is adversely affected from the moment they are cut from the stalk. For maximum taste and tenderness, cook as soon as possible. Do not stock up on artichokes. Refrigerate unwashed, in a plastic bag, for up to 1 week.

Preparation

Artichokes should be washed under cold running water. Pull off the lower petals and cut the stems to one inch or less. Cut the top quarter of each artichoke and snip off the sharp tips. Artichokes turn brown very quickly once they are cut. To preserve the green color, one may dip in lemon water.

Artichokes can also stain the hands quite badly so it is recommended that rubber gloves be worn for cleaning and chopping.

Artichokes can be boiled, steamed, microwaved or sautéed. They can be eaten whole or added to other dishes.

Cooked artichokes may be refrigerated for several days in a covered container.

Microwave: cook 6 to 8 minutes or until a petal near the center pulls out easily.

Boiling: Stand artichokes in a large pan with 3 quarts boiling water. Cover and boil gently 20 to 40 minutes according to size, or until the petal near the center pulls out easily.

Small artichokes are good for pickling, stews, casseroles; medium size are good for salads and large size are good for stuffing.

To eat, pull off leaves and eat the fleshy ends attached to the plant. Lift out the cone and cut out the core, which is the fuzzy portion at the center. The heart is a true delicacy and will break easily with a fork. Dip the leaves in lemon juice or try the low-fat dipping sauce in the recipe section.

Recipes

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing
Makes 8 servings, each serving equals two 5 A Day servings
Source: Produce for Better Health

Ingredients

8 Artichokes (medium size), prepared and cooked as directed for whole artichokes
4 Red bell peppers
Lettuce leaves
½ cup Red onion, sliced
½ cup Ripe olives, sliced
1 Bell pepper (roasted), reserved from salad preparation (for Dressing)
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar (for Dressing)
¼ cup White wine or cider vinegar (for Dressing)
2 cloves Garlic, minced (for Dressing)
1 Tsbp Basil (fresh), chopped or 1 tsp. crushed dried basil (for Dressing)
1 tsp Rosemary (fresh), chopped or ½ tsp crushed dried rosemary (for Dressing)

Halve artichokes lengthwise; scoop out center petals and fuzzy centers. Remove outer leaves and reserve to garnish salad, or to use for snacks another time. Trim out hearts and slice thinly. Cover and set aside. Place whole bell peppers under preheated broiler; broil under high heat until charred on all sides, turning frequently with tongs. Remove from oven; place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to steam skins. Trim off stems of peppers; remove seeds and ribs. Strip off skins; slice peppers into julienne strips. Reserve one-fourth of the bell pepper strips to prepare dressing.
To assemble salads, arrange lettuce leaves on 8 salad plates. Arrange sliced artichoke hearts, remaining bell pepper strips, red onion and olive slices on lettuce. Garnish with a couple of cooked artichoke leaves, if desired.

For dressing, in blender or food processor container place reserved bell pepper strips, vinegars, garlic, basil, rosemary and sugar. Cover and process until well blended and nearly smooth. Spoon dressing over salads.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 88, Fat 1g, Calories from Fat 12%, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 5g, Sodium 189mg.

Artichoke Gondolas
Makes 4 servings, equals two 5 A Day servings
Source Produce for Better Health

Ingredients

4 Artichokes (medium size), cooked
3/4 cup Sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1 Eggplant (small), peeled and diced
2 cup Low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup Onion, chopped
1 Tsbp Each of: Fresh oregano, Fresh basil
1–2 cloves Garlic, minced
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper

Halve artichokes lengthwise; remove center petals and fuzzy centers of artichokes. Remove outer leaves of artichokes; reserve. Trim out hearts and chop finely. Set aside.
Rehydrate tomatoes in boiling water for 3 minutes until softened. Drain and rinse; chop. Cook eggplant in simmering chicken broth for 10 minutes; drain well. In blender or food processor container place chopped tomatoes, drained eggplant, onion, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and process until nearly smooth. Taste for seasoning. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts.
To serve, arrange artichoke leaves on a serving platter; spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the eggplant mixture onto wide end of artichoke leaves. Garnish with a fresh herb leaf, if desired.
Alternate serving idea: Arrange artichoke leaves on a platter, surrounding a bowl of the eggplant mixture. Use artichoke leaves to scoop up individual servings of the dip. Dip can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and chilled until serving time.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 177, Fat 3g, Calories from Fat 17%, Cholesterol 1mg, Fiber 8g, Sodium 351mg.

Artichokes with Garlic Dip
Makes 4 servings, each serving equals one 5 A Day servings

Ingredients

1 cup Plain lowfat yogurt
1 Tbsp each of: Chopped parsley and chives
2 tsp Chili sauce
½ tsp Garlic salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
4 Artichokes (medium), prepared and cooked

Combine all ingredients except artichokes; blend well. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with cooked artichokes.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 103, Fat 1g, Calories from Fat 10%, Cholesterol 4mg, Fiber 4g, Sodium 308mg.

Artichoke-Cranberry Whole Wheat Stuffing
Makes 10 (1 cup) servings, each serving equals two 5 A Day servings

Ingredients

8 Artichokes (medium size), prepared and cooked as directed for whole artichokes
2 cup Carrots, chopped
1 cup Onions, chopped
5 cup Whole wheat bread crumbs
2 cup Cranberries, freshly chopped (for easier chopping, freeze cranberries and chop with food processor fitted with metal blade)
1 Tsbp Chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. crushed dried thyme
½ tsp Ground allspice
¼ - ½ cup Orange juice
Pepper to taste

Remove outer petals from artichokes; save to enjoy as an appetizer or snack. Remove center petals and fuzzy centers of artichokes; trim out hearts. Chop hearts and place in a large bowl. Set aside. Steam carrots and onions for 8 to 10 minutes, or until carrots are nearly tender. Add steamed vegetables to artichokes; stir in bread crumbs, cranberries, thyme and allspice. Toss until well combined. Sprinkle orange juice over mixture to moisten stuffing as desired. Toss well; season with pepper.
Use to stuff a 12–15 pound turkey, a large roasting chicken or other poultry. Bake any remaining stuffing in a lightly greased baking dish, covered, during the last 30 to 40 minutes of roasting. Makes about 10 cups of stuffing.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 125, Fat 1g, Calories from Fat 6%, Cholesterol 1mg, Fiber 6g, Sodium 193mg.

Content source: Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed