Artichokes are intimidating; and being prickly and green, they have no obvious edibility. My friend and former Sauce writer, S.C. Truckey, had a run-in with this reptile of a vegetable. Her story makes me laugh every time I read it.
Despite the fear factor surrounding artichokes, if you’re willing to do just a little extra work with a decently sharp knife, there are great reasons to bring these babies home. The heart is both sweet and vegetal; it tastes like green would taste (if colors had flavors). Sure, you can steam the whole thing, mix a little garlic butter and tear it apart – there’s much to be said about that method. But this dish asks you to do to the heavy lifting for your dinners.
Braised Artichoke Hearts
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe courtesy of Saveur 4 to 6 artichokes
2 cups white wine
2 cups water
2 lemons
¼ cup mint
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt and freshly ground black pepper blend
• Cut the top 2 inches off of each artichoke. Using a melon baller or grapefruit spoon, scoop out the inedible fuzzy “choke.”
• For each artichoke, peel off the rest of the artichoke leaves, and using a paring knife, trim down to the heart.
• Place the hearts into a 2 to 3 quart saucepan with the wine, water, the juice from 1 lemon, mint, garlic and the salt and pepper mix.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until tender.
• Slice the remaining lemon into rings, and spread the rings on a plate. Remove the hearts from the saucepan and slice. Serve over the plated lemons and drizzle with cooking liquid.
This article appears in May 2013.