Let’s face it, they don’t teach us how to cook with artichokes in school. It’s is a real shame since these fancy flowers and dinner-party staples happen to be one of the best parts about spring. Here’s what you need to know on how to easily cook and make delicious meals with artichokes.
- Trim the tips. Artichokes are one of the more pointy types of produce we eat (we see you, Nopales), so you’ll need to trim the prickly ends of each leaf off with kitchen shears before cooking. While you’re at it, chop off the front third of the artichoke, which is almost all pointy tips anyway.
- Tame the texture with hot water. Artichokes are quite fibrous, so you’ll need to either steam or boil them before eating. A winning combo is to boil them and then either roast or grill them for extra flavor! If boiling your artichokes, add some halved lemons and a bay leaf into your salted water for extra flavor.
- Time for a dip. Artichokes are traditionally dipped in a creamy or tangy sauce like an aioli or vinaigrette. A good sauce will provide contrast to your artichokes and let your Imperfect herbs shine. If you’re looking to get improvise or like cooking without a recipe, ingredients that work well with artichokes are garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf, thyme, and mint.
If you’d prefer a visual overview of how to cook artichokes, check out this informative video from our friends at Tastemade. We hope you have fun cooking with your next batch of Imperfect artichokes!
I never bother with cutting off the pointy tips. My mother didn’t either and she taught me to cook. Cutting them off doesn’t change the flavor. I have cut them off to stuff the artichokes but only for my safety.
Instead of lemon in the water, I use apple cider vinegar. My mom also added some oil but I stopped doing that because it does not add flavor. Also, sometimes I accidentally drop the artichoke back in the water when I am trying to remove them and vinegar water makes much less of a mess than oil and vinegar water.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on artichokes with us!
such a shame to dip a lovely artichoke in fat… try this tasty zero fat dipping sauce (you can also freeze it) https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85460/lemon-and-mustard-dipping-sauce-for-artichokes/
We appreciate you taking the time to share a recipe with our community! Thanks, Mary!
I agree with Vicki. For everyday meals there’s no need to cut the pointy leaves unless they are very sharp.
They are very easy to cook in the Instant Pot too. My mom used a stovetop pressure cooker in the ’70s and ’80s to cook them. Love the idea of adding lemon and bay leaf. I’ll give that a try tonight since I have some in the refrigerator.
My husband doesn’t but I do! When serving them to guests I think it makes the flower prettier, but it doesn’t add or detract when points are cut.
I love Artichokes! My father got me eating them when I was a small child. I learned to eat them (one leaf at a time, mostly) using melted butter with garlic and pepper. It wasn’t until much later in life did I learn that they were just as delicious cold. Now I always cook at least two at a time so I will have the extra for lunch. I dip the cold ones in mayonnaise which mixed with some lemon juice and garlic. The best part of the artichoke is the heart which is such a treat after eating all the yummy part of the leaves. I’m going to have to experiment with different sauces now.
Artichokes are so amazing! Glad you love them so much too! ????