How to prepare and cook Globe Artichokes

Above are four globe artichokes. I prepped them in about five minutes. They are worth it. Easy to do with the right prep

Once prepped roast, stuff or serve with a dip, even julienned and served raw (soaked in lemon juice) with a salad. Globe artichokes epitomise the fleeting glimpse of Summer, forsake these plants in your garden and you have lovely thistle type flowers in September which to me is no bad thing.

If you've grown globe artichokes yourself cut them off when they are tennis ball size, they are best when small or they become 'woody' in our climate, and leave a few inches of stalk - which becomes a useful handle to hold when prepping and can also be eaten. Well, about an inch of it - peel it - as you would a broccoli stem.

Prepping these jardin monsters est facile, you just need the right weapons, three knives, a teaspoon and a lemon. Oh and the ability to work fast - globe artichokes oxidise very quickly so keep them lemoned up. Anyway clear a space, I usually prep them outside as there is quite a lot of mess, even from just a few. You also need lots of water as there is often lots of insects keen to evacuate so when cut put them in a big bowl of water.

Prep

Get a couple of large bowls and add lemon juice to the water, I use lemon juice from a supermarket. Cut a lemon in half. Arrange a sharp knife, a serrated (bread) knife and a paring knife and a teaspoon.

Squeeze some lemon onto your hands, and keep doing so, and rub it into the globe artichokes as you go along.

Then pull off and or cut off the first few rows of leaves, dip the globe artichoke in the lemon water as you go along. In Rome they'd take virtually all leaves off, but we're not in Rome. Then using the serrated knife cut the top off by about a third, dip in the water. Cut the stalk off about 1cm above the join. Cut the globe artichoke in half top to bottom, dip one half in water then work on it and leave the other half in the water. Using the paring knife cut just below the hairy bit in the middle (the choke) pushing the knife to the back until you meet resistance. Then use a teaspoon to remove the hairy stuff and place the globe artichoke in the water as pictured above. Repeat.

Cooking

Globe artichoke hearts can be bought in jars and can be used on pizza or as elsewhere here on my blog with chicken. It's not worth prepping globe artichokes just for their hearts.

But when you prep globe artichokes as above they are best parboiled and then stuffed with a mixture of Parmesan or Pecorino, garlic and breadcrumbs, then roasted; not long, maybe twenty mins at 180.

Or just rubbed with some olive oil,  lemon juice and salt and then roasted, simply as pic. Serve with a dip for the scant artichoke leaves.

If you have room in the garden I suggest that you grow some, they come back year after year and as a border plant they look great, whether you eat them or not.

Globe artichokes are considered a delicacy here in the UK, implacable in their fortitude, formidable kitchen foes and yes they are monsters to deal with but a worthy advisory is a worthy advisory nonetheless. And that's why I luv 'em.