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I spotted fresh artichokes when shopping in the produce aisle at the grocery store the other day.

I immediately thought of my mom’s stuffed artichokes. She stuffed them with a delicious bread crumb, cheese and herb mix. I’ll never forget the delectable aroma of the kitchen as they slowly cooked. As a child, my favorite part of eating a stuffed artichoke was scraping off the bottom fleshy part of the leaf with my teeth.

Artichokes weren’t only delicious, but also fun to eat. It took work peeling off each of the leaves to get to the tasty part, but it was worth it. I still love the flavor of artichokes and use artichoke hearts often in my cooking.

Artichokes have two peak seasons, March to June and September to October. Although we think of an artichoke as a vegetable, it is actually a type of thistle or flowering plant with sharp prickles. The artichoke itself is the immature flower bud of a thistle. If left on the plant, it will bloom. The bud or artichoke is harvested before it blossoms. If not harvested, the leaves will begin to open revealing a lavender flower in the center.

Most of the artichoke is inedible, except for the base of the tender leaves, the innermost leaves, and the heart, which is hidden under the choke. The choke is what I refer to as the fuzzy center of the artichoke. It needs to be scraped out to get to the hidden gem — the meaty artichoke heart. Artichokes aren’t only delicious they are nutritious as well. They are filled with fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C.

Selecting a fresh artichoke

You may look at a whole artichoke in the grocery store and pass it by because it looks too intimidating. You don’t have to stuff them like my mom did to enjoy them.

With a little advance preparation, there are many different ways to cook them. They are delicious steamed, roasted, grilled, or fried.

When choosing an artichoke, look for one with green leaves that feels firm and is heavy for its size. It should not feel spongy.

A good artichoke will have green leaves that are tightly packed. If the leaves are too loose or dry, avoid that artichoke.

Finally, a fresh artichoke will have leaves that squeak a bit when pressed together.

Since I’m never sure how long a fresh artichoke has been sitting in a grocery store, I always try to prepare and cook it within a day or two or purchase. If I do have to store artichokes, I will keep them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator for a few days.

If you’re still unsure about cooking whole fresh artichokes, no worries, frozen and canned artichoke hearts are a great addition to recipes as well.

Trim an artichoke to prepare for cooking

To prepare fresh artichokes for cooking, rinse them completely in cold water to remove any dirt. I usually submerge them a few times and then rinse them under cold running water. Use a sharp knife to cut off the stem so the artichoke stands upright in a baking dish. Then, cut off about an inch or so from the top of the artichoke. This is easier if you use a serrated knife. Remove any tough leaves from the bottom. Snip off the sharp edges of each leaf with kitchen shears. My mom used to submerge the artichokes in cold lemon water at this point to keep them from browning, but I rub a fresh lemon over the entire artichoke instead.

Now the artichokes are ready to cook. If you’re not stuffing them, they can be steamed, simmered, roasted or grilled. Once cooked and tender, you can simply peel off the leaves and dip them in butter or a dipping sauce. I also enjoy fried artichoke, but it takes a bit more prep, because you have to trim the artichoke down to the heart and use a vegetable peeler to remove the woody outermost layer of the stem. Below is what I remember of my mom’s recipe for Italian stuffed artichokes. Eating artichoke is a hands-on event. Enjoy!

Stuffed Artichokes

• 4 trimmed artichokes (directions above)

• 1 ½ Italian seasoned bread crumbs

• ½ to ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley

•½ tsp garlic powder

• Salt and pepper

• Fresh lemons (Lemon juice)

• Water

• Olive oil

• White wine

• 2 garlic cloves

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Clean and trim artichokes as detailed in the article. Some people choose to steam the artichoke after trimming to soften it up a bit, prior to stuffing. My mom never did, so I don’t. It’s up to you.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. The amount I use is based on the size of the artichokes. We like cheese, so I go heavier on the cheese. Mix in some olive oil just to moisten and mix. I only use a tablespoon or two.

Using your hands, start to loosen up the leaves of the artichoke. Starting with the center and using a teaspoon, I pack each leaf of the artichoke with the bread crumb mixture.

Place the artichokes in a baking dish. Drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top of each. I also squeeze a bit more lemon juice on top. Fill the bottom of the pan with 2/3 to 1/3 mix of water and white wine. I also drop in 2 garlic cloves and squeeze in more lemon juice. Liquid should reach up about 1/3 of the way on the artichokes. You can eliminate the wine or use chicken broth if you prefer. Place in the oven and bake. I check after one hour. It can take anywhere from one hour to 1.5 hours depending on if you pre-steamed your artichokes and also the size. Mine took approx. 1.5. When the artichokes are cooked, they will be fork tender and the leaves will come off easily.

***

Ruth Corcoran is a professional marketer, former restaurant owner and community advocate. She resides in Bear Creek. Readers can reach Ruth by emailing ruth@corcoranpr.com.

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Life at Full Throttle: Fresh spring artichokes bring back childhood memories