Our family has always been big artichoke fans. Spring means artichokes are in season!
I think I have come to realize that the vast majority of the population does not know what to do with an fresh artichoke. I remember my roommate in college came home with me in the Spring and my mother served us artichokes with dinner. I looked across the table and he was chewing on something for a while. He put the whole leaf in his mouth. I bet he was wondering why we were so enthusiastic for chewing on something so tough.
The only way I like an artichoke is steamed with either lemon butter or hollandaise.
Here is what you do:
First wash the artichoke. Cut the stem off about a half an inch from the base. Pull off some of the outer leaves. Trim the thorns off of the ends of the remaining leaves.
Put them in a pot with a steaming cage on the bottom. Add water (make sure that the water does not run out while you are steaming. Nothing is worse than burnt artichokes) and spray some fresh lemon juice on the artichokes. Steam them until you can easily poke the base with a knife.
Now before you start cooking, make sure that you have artichoke plates. I think William Sonoma has them.
Pull off the leaves, dunk them in the lemon butter and then drag them through your teeth. Arrange the consumed leaves in a nice pattern on your special plate.
When you get down to the small leaves, it is time to cut the choke out and get to the heart...the best part of the artichoke.
Yum....and enjoy!