We found baby artichokes at Schnucks this week. I’d never cooked them before but, having a vague memory of recipes that involved them, bought a pound, which came to about 8 or 10. I chose ones whose tips were tightly closed, the way I do with regular ‘chokes, and came home to investigate.
Instructions on preparing the babies are at www.artichokes.org , the official website of the California Artichoke Advisory Board. Just click on "recipes and such" and then on "preparation;" scroll down to find specifics on handling these wee critters.
After I stripped off the leaves, cut off a little of the stem and the green half of the body, I dropped them in acidulated water. Boy, there’s a phrase that will Make You Feel Like A Chef, but all I did was throw a little wine vinegar in some cool water. It doesn’t have to be lemon juice; it’s the acidity that’s important. (Yes, the recipe calls for a half a lemon. I had a half on hand; if I’d had a whole one I would have used the other half instead of the vinegar.) All this does is keep the cut surfaces from browning; the length of time they’re in the water doesn’t matter, although I wouldn’t keep them there for more than a few hours.
And then I did this:
trimmed baby artichokes
olive oil
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
a pinch of dried (gasp!) basil
salt
fresh-ground pepper
juice of half a lemon
As I thought about it, I realized I wanted smaller pieces, so I cut the artichokes in half vertically and returned them to their holding water bath. I put a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat, added a put a small glug of olive oil. When it was hot, I threw in the garlic and let it sizzle for a moment. It shouldn’t brown. Crush the basil between your fingers and add it to the oil. Drain the artichokes and toss them in the pan. Give the pan a shake and clap the lid on it. Drop the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 4 minutes. Take the lid off, arrange the ‘chokes so they’re all cut-side down, add a couple of tablespoons more water if the pan looks dry, and put the lid back on. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and squeeze the lemon half over things.
Serve it forth to 2 people.
All the flavor of fresh artichokes without the game of pulling leaves off and removing the fuzzy choke itself. Very tasty, says the Guru.
-Ann