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Mythopoetic
Code Is Candy
The Vivid Traveler
It's Italian
This Blog: It's Italian
(hover for title)
05 Feb 2019
12 Jan 2018
10 Nov 2017
16 Jan 2016
01 Jan 2013
03 Dec 2012
15 Nov 2012
15 Oct 2012
17 Sep 2012
06 Aug 2012
09 Jul 2012
17 Jun 2012
07 May 2012
02 Apr 2012
02 Mar 2012
06 Feb 2012
02 Jan 2012
01 Dec 2011
01 Nov 2011
04 Jul 2011
01 Jun 2011
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It's Italian - Torre's Heritage Blog
The return of Captain Artichoke
published: Tuesday November 01st, 2011When he was about 12, my son Robert took to brushing his hair straight up like a character from Dragon Ball Z, and a good friend of our family dubbed him "Captain Artichoke!"
Fortunately the hairstyle faded quickly, unfortunately the name lingers on, much like our Thanksgiving traditions.
At our house, we love to serve Artichokes every Thanksgiving, and often on Christmas and at Easter as well, just as my Nana and Aunt Agnes did. Now if you didn't grow up eating them, they can be a little frightening to prepare, but it is really quite simple:
Cut off the stem so that the bottom of the artichoke is flat, and can sit upright.
Peel the tough outer layer of the stem and chop to about the size of a garlic clove.
Peel about 3 cloves of garlic per artichoke, and quarter.
Artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, so I usually take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of outer leaves. This step is optional because the thorns soften with cooking but I like to do it before spreading the leaves open for stuffing.
Spread the leaves open, stuff in the stem pieces and garlic cloves.
Drizzle with oil.
Place the choke in a pot and add watter till it comes half-way up the artichokes.
Add the juice of a lemon and a few fresh basil leaves to the water.
Cover the pot and boil till the outer leaves come away from the artichoke, and you can pluck a leaf easily, and the flesh is tender.
Serve immediately.
Some people like to dip the leaves in melted butter, personally I like them plain, you just peal the leaves one at a time from the outside, scraping each leaf between your teeth to strip away the succulent flesh. until you work your way down to the choke, where the hair like thistle-down will need to be scraped away from the artichoke heart. The heart itself, is pure heaven, being the tenderest most flavorful part of the artichoke.
It's delicious, and it's Italian, my whole family agrees, especially Captain Artichoke.