This recipe is a French classic. It is a perfect way to prepare artichokes, simply steamed or boiled for 45 minutes and steeped in my dressing. They are worth the effort and there’s something luxe about eating the soft creamy heart as the prize after eating the soft ends off of the leaves. If you don’t know how to prepare or eat them, follow my recipe and I promise they are divine plus artichokes are a super food packed with antioxidants and liver cleansing properties..just google them for their list of health giving benefits.

Recipe

1 artichoke per person

Ingredients:
Raw artichokes
My vinaigrette recipe (👈🏼click on the word vinaigrette to take you straight to it)

How:
Cut the stalk of the artichokes down to two inches. Then, trim the spikey ends of the leaves, however, this is optional and not essential.
Cook for between 35 and 45 minutes, check for done so that you should be able to pull out leave easily. Drain upside down so the water runs out and leave to cool.
Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise and with a teaspoon gently, like a surgeon, ease out the the choke which is the hairy inedible bit in the middle, it’s not called the choke for no reason, but be gentle so you do not remove the soft flesh underneath. There are lots of you tube videos on how to remove the hairy choke.
The best way to eat the artichoke is to remove the leaves one by one, and eat the fleshy base of each leaf dipping it in to the vinaigrette till you get to the soft centre which you can smother in more vinaigrette and then enjoy its soft delicious flesh.

lastly…artichoke hearts are fantastic in salads, with pasta, puréed as a dip and hot as a side dish with garlicky butter and parsley.

I shop at
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl