Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
heart and stem. You can do this by tearing away the outer leaves by hand, but the follow-
ing method is much faster. Since you'll usually be paring at least half a dozen for most
recipes, this is a technique worth learning.
TO BEGIN, have a large bowl at your side filled with water and the juice of half a lemon.
This acidulated water is where you will put the cleaned artichokes; the lemon juice will
keep them from discoloring.
HOLD THE ARTICHOKE in your left hand with the stem facing toward you and the tip
facing away. Slowly turn the artichoke against the sharp edge of the knife while making
an abbreviated sawing motion. (It's easier to control the knife if you use the base rather
than the tip.) You will begin to cut through the tough outer leaves; when you can discern
the natural cone shape of the artichoke, adjust the knife to follow it. Keep trimming like
this until you've cut away enough of the tough leaves that you can see only light green at
the base of the leaves. Cut away the top inch or so of the tip of the artichoke, then dip the
artichoke into the lemon water to keep the cut surfaces from discoloring.
WITH A PARING KNIFE, trim away the very tip of the stem, then peel the stem and base
of the artichoke, going from the tip to where the base meets the leaves. You'll have to do
this in five or six passes to make it all the way around the artichoke. When you're done,
there should be no dark green tough spots left, only pale green and ivory. If you're using
baby artichokes, leave the choke whole. Just put it in the lemon water and repeat the in-
structions for the remaining artichokes.
AFTER YOU'VE PARED THE ARTICHOKE, if you're using mediumsize ones, you'll
probably want to quarter it. The easiest way to do this is to set the artichoke on the cutting
board so it is upside down, resting on the cut surface of the tip. Cut it in half vertically,
then in half again. Check the choke. With most, there will probably be nothing but a little
fuzz; you can leave that and just put the quarters in the lemon water. Larger artichokes
will have what looks like very fine hair. Cut just below that to the very base of the leaves,
and the base will pop off, leaving a clean heart below. Put the cleaned quarters in the water
and go on to the next artichoke.
Artichokes Stuffed with Ham and Pine Nuts
Baked this way, artichokes turn almost silky, while the stuffing browns to a nice
crust. Try experimenting with this stuffing; chopped green olives are good, too.
6 SERVINGS AS A FIRST COURSE
