We love giving the extra nod to seasonal cooking by serving dishes in an edible container, be it stuffed squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, or, in this case, an artichoke. Not only is the result visually pleasing, but its flavor benefits from added depth and complexity.

In the pictured Walnut, Bacon and Rice-Stuffed Artichoke, the Eddybles blogger sautéed a base of onion, garlic and double-smoked bacon with tomatoes and lemon juice before adding rice, Parmesan and basil. But, as she writes, the dish is in fact a "two chapter meal." After enjoying the warmed salad, you reach the meaty artichoke petals, saturated with the drippings of the sautée. The best part is thus saved for last, when you deconstruct the artichoke bowl and savor the richness of each seasoned petal.

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Even people who aren't big fans of artichoke seem to enjoy artichoke dips. The mild flavor of the vegetable and is tender texture blend perfectly with cream cheese, mayonnaise or sour cream - at least one of which is almost always a component of artichoke dip. The dips are usually served hot, enhancing the smoothness and the overall flavor.

Hot dips require a little more maintenance than cold dips. You will either need to head back and forth to the kitchen to reheat them, serve them in a chafing dish or try to motivate your guests to eat them really quickly. I like to use two or three smaller bowls, that way one will be ready to go if I need to switch them out. I also try to choose dips that will still taste good at room temperature - and this one definitely does.

The recipe comes from Eating Well magazine and is a little lighter than most artichoke dips, with most of the flavor coming from the artichokes themselves and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, which is among the lower-fat cheeses out there. Some mayo is included to enhance the consistency of the final dip, which is heated in the oven to produce a slightly crisp top and creamy interior.

Sarah posted that she was surprised to see such large globe artichokes when she was out shopping, but as an artichoke fan, I have been enjoying these for some time. They are significantly larger than your average 'choke - that is my chef's knife in the photo below for a size comparison - and they are so satisfying that they can actually serve as a light meal. The only downside is that you have to dedicate a whole, large pot to steaming one, so it's best to either only prepare one at a time as an appetizer for a group or a snack for yourself.

While some produce has been suffering in recent months, it seems that others are doing enormously well. Quite literally, in fact.

I'm not sure what the statistics or records are out there for giant artichokes, but still, to see ginormous artichokes that aren't on display at some State Fair is quite a sight. These globes were huge, and even though my hand, holding the artichoke by the stem, doesn't look all that small in comparison, it is. The thistle-beast I am holding was as large as a cabbage.

The question is: does a beast of an artichoke also have a lion heart?

I love artichokes. However, up until last year, I had never prepared a fresh artichoke at home. I had always relied on artichoke hearts that had been brined or marinated because the hard, spiky leaves, and danger of having someone choke on the hairy stuff inside if I did it wrong, well, scared me.

Now, I have slayed spiny the dragon, and a fresh artichoke is a kitten in my hands. My favorite way to prepare it, so far, is roasting it, which allows me to appreciate the vegetable as is, without any heavy accessorization with creamy sauces or the distractions of other ingredients.

All it takes is a pair of very sharp kitchen utensils. With a knife, first, slice off the top quarter of the artichoke, then slice it lengthwise into quarters. Using kitchen shears, snip the thorny tops of any interior leaves that you missed with the knife. Using a teaspoon, scrape out the furry "choke," taking care to take all of it out. Rub the cut side of the artichoke with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon juice and salt, place them on a baking sheet, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve simply with thin shavings of cheese.

The newly launched artichoke drink with the odd name - Security Feel Better - has been banned in France. The government has taken the decision as it could encourage drinking and driving. The producers marketed the drink with the unique selling proposition that it disperses alcohol from the blood up to six times faster than normal.

But these claims have not been clinically proven. In trials carried out by the producers, a man who drank a whiskey followed by a whole bottle of wine and a liqueur gave a reading of 187mg before taking Security Feel Better, but 80mg only 40 minutes later. French supermarket Auchan unilaterally discontinued sales after carrying out its own tests, but the product is on sale in other supermarkets and is being exported to Korea, Germany and Switzerland. American and – possibly – UK launches are planned.

The drink is a natural product based on plant extracts. The key ingredients include artichokes, which, according to the manufacturers, can stimulate liver renewal. Artichokes, they say, are also a treatment for indigestion, alcoholism, cirrhosis, jaundice and other complications of liver damage.

The company website still has the product for sale. A box of 10 bottles 30 ml cost 27.50 €- French VAT included.

 

Artichokes have been a favorite food for over 2000 years, first appearing as a popular aphrodisiac in Ancient Greece and Rome. They grew natively around Italy, but by the year 800, they were being cultivated in Spain and gradually spread to other areas of Europe. Today, nearly all commercial artichokes grown in the US come from California, where they are harvested year-round. There are more than 50 varieties of artichokes, but only a few are commercially grown. The ones in the United States are likely to be round and green Globe artichokes, but some varieties have brown or purple leaves. The small artichokes sold as "baby artichokes" are not a variety of their own, but merely an immature version of larger artichokes.

My beloved San Francisco Forty-Niners aren't playing in upcoming the Super Bowl (and they've sucked since the 90's) so really, I have no interest in it. But, boy do I love football food. In my opinion the snacks should be easy and adundant. Here's a  delicious dip that you can whack together in minutes. Make sure you get out and throw around the pigskin after eating this—it's rich.

Easy Artichoke Dip

You can make it fancier, but why?

1 12 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (not the marinated kind)
1 cup mayonnaise
4-6 ounces of parmesan cheese (or a mixture of parmesan and romano)

Mix ingredients together. Bake a 350º for 35 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

Keep an eye out over the next two weeks for more party food ideas from me. I take my football munchies very seriously.

[photo: jenyu]