"artichokes" news and stories

Will everyone who's ever eaten artichokes for the first time and mistakenly shoved the whole fibrous, impossible-to-chew leaf in their mouth, and then tried to figure out how to get rid of it without gagging, please raise your hands? Or am I alone in this Lucy-like episode of Famous Food Faux Pas? Why, all those years ago, didn't I have Tyler Florence to show me the way with his delicate roasted baby artichokes?

Yes, folks, artichoke season has come around again. Blogger Pabo76 (who also provides great takes on Korean food) layers the choke with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and some roasted red peppers on crusty bread (for another hoagie combo see our recipe). Or you can get back to artichoke basics (and give your kids a lesson in the ultimate slow food, leaf by leaf) with this recipe for the spiky green veg.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Can you identify spring vegetables? Take this spring vegetable identification quiz on Slashfood to find out.

Photo: Not Eating Out in New York

Cathy Erway has cooked an artichoke or two -- or 12 -- in two years' worth of Not Eating Out In New York. But she claims to have never cooked a pretty artichoke ... until now.

When presented with a bag of the baby variety, Erway was initially stumped as to how to make them pleasing both to the palate and the eyes, at last deciding upon an ingredient that would do both justice: butter. After steaming them, she halved the hearts and browned them in a pan of butter before sprinkling the lovely layered veggies with minced, jewel-hued nectarines, sprightly lime juice and shallots.

Success! Because, as Julia Child taught us, everything is better -- and, quite obviously, more beautiful -- with butter.

[Via Not Eating Out in New York]

I was grocery shopping yesterday, and I couldn't get my eyes off of cute mini artichokes from California. Ah, the gorgeous produce from California! I bought these artichokes and stuffed them with a marjoram stuffing. I'm a fan of the entire artichoke - the leaves and the heart.

Artichoke hearts taste delicious plain or thrown into a salad. They can also make the perfect braised chicken dish. In Italy, artichoke hearts are mixed with olive oil and transformed into an exquisite spread that's often applied to pizza. Besides stuffing the flower, you can also deep fry it. Or, you can simply go for steamed artichokes with an aioli dip.

Not only are artichokes eaten, but they are also used in drinks. In Vietnam, they're made into an herbal tea. And, in Italy the Italian bitter apéritif liqueur Cynar has artichoke as its primary flavor.

Below are 8 different artichoke recipes:

1. Chicken with Artichoke Hearts
2. Cream of Artichoke Soup
3. Artichoke Dip
4. Arugula and Baby Artichoke Salad
5. Fried Artichokes
6. Artichoke and Smoked Tuna Tart
7. Steamed Artichokes with Herb-Caper Mayonnaise
8. Falsone's Roasted Artichoke-Stuffed Artichokes

What are your favorite artichoke dishes?

There's a neverending rush of video recipes on the Internet, but while many offer tasty food concoctions, few give you any extra helpful information. But not Michelle Knaus! Above, you can watch her clearly and articulately tackle artichokes as part of Cooking Up a Story.

It might be 14 minutes, but they'll be 14 minutes well spent, especially if you've ever shrugged away from the world of peeling and preparing artichokes. She outlines how they grow, how to prep and prepare them, and ultimately make the Artichoke Pesto. Better yet -- she outlines how to make the most of your ingredients, the how and why behind each part of the recipe, and answers many questions that might pop up -- how the recipe changes when using fresh or canned artichokes, why and how she uses each herb, and more.

This woman needs her own show.