The time for artichokes is here!

The other day, I walked into my local Whole Foods with the intent of buying some paninis for a late Saturday lunch. Along my way, I came across a mountain stacked high with artichokes. Beautiful, tight-leaved and rotund, I couldn't look away! And the best part was, they were on sale - 2/$4.99. I couldn't leave without grabbing a few, and tonight, I made them to go with our dinner!

from Flickr - by wundoroo

Artichokes are so simple to make! You need to have a pot with a steamer basket for the technique I used, along with a slice of lemon, a bay leaf, a clove of garlic and some water...and of course, your artichokes!

Prepare your artichokes by cutting the stem close to the body of the artichoke and removing any small leaves at the very bottom. Also slice about an inch off the top, giving it a little bit of a flat-top "haircut."

from Flickr - by flaurella

Boil the water with the bay leaf, lemon slice and garlic clove thrown in. Try throwing different spices and herbs in the water to create different aromatics for steaming. Once boiling, place your steamer basket on top and add your prepared artichokes. Steam for 30-45 minutes, or until the outer leaves pull away easily.

To Eat: As you peel the leaves away, bite the meat off the ends of the leaves after dipping them in your favorite salad dressing or sauce. Tonight, I tried them with a yummy miso dressing, but growing up, we always ate them with Newman's Own dressing...and that's how artichokes were done! :)

Once you get down far enough with the leaves, you can easily pull the top away from the bottom, scrape the fuzzy yellow hairs away and what you'll have is a full artichoke heart! They are so meaty and flavorful...and DELICIOUS!

from Flickr - by The Daily Rant

Run to the store and get some today! Now's the time! :)