Steamed Artichokes
Green Globes of Goodness!
Steamed artichokes were a staple on my plate while growing up in San Francisco. As a kid, I loved the creamy flesh inside the leaves dipped in copious amounts of mayonnaise. I had no idea that we were a mere 75 miles north of Castroville, the self-proclaimed "Artichoke Capital of the World" on the Monterey Bay.
Fast forward multiple decades later and I'm riding my Honda VTX 1300 V-twin cruiser south on Highway 1 from my home in Capitola. The road transitions from a freeway to a two-lane highway just south of Watsonville. Why? Fields as far as one can see - lettuce, brussels sprouts, strawberries, and artichokes.
I lean the bike gracefully into the Moss Landing curves. The PG&E power plant at Elkhorn Slough looms large on my left. I pull into the left turn lane at Dolan Road, waiting patiently for an opening. At last, I lean the bike left, the straight road beckons. I open the throttle wide releasing the 100 horsepower beast: 0-60 in seconds, wind rushing past my helmet, leather jacket inflating. Gyroscopic stability at speed. Freedom!
There they are: enormous artichoke plants! 4-6 feet tall and almost as wide. Sharp thorns warning intruders away. I downshift, slow, and lean right onto Castroville Road. Graceful curves, rises, and dips at 50 MPH. Artichoke plants on both sides of the road as far as can be seen. Gorgeous globes of green goodness grow protected by their thistle thorns. Downshift, brake, and stop to Highway 152. Quick right and a short jaunt into Castroville itself. I look for my favorite restaurant, park the VTX beast. My heavy boots clomp on the wood floor as I saunter up to the bar. I order my favorite lunch: steamed artichoke, fries, and iced tea. Life is good today.
Here is my recipe for…
Steamed Artichokes
Ingredients
2-4 fist sized artichokes (Green Globe variety is my favorite, with a more triangular leaf)
1 med-large lemon, quartered
2.5 grams | 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1.2 grams | 1/2 tsp ground pepper
.6 grams | 1/2 tsp oregano
54 grams | 1.9 oz (1/4 C) extra virgin olive oil
Dipping Sauce
56 grams | 1.8 oz (1/4 C) mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellman's east of the Rockies)
57 grams | 2 oz (1/4 C) sour cream
15 ml | 1 T fresh lemon juice
5 grams | 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Prep the Steamer
In a stock pot with steamer insert, add water so it just reaches the bottom of the steamer insert. Quarter the lemon. Place the lemon quarters evenly around the bottom of the steamer. Set steamer with insert inside on stove burner on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
Prep the Artichokes
Remove by hand the small leaves from the bottom of the artichokes, about 2-3 rows. Slice off the stems. Trim the sliced stem area to make a flat surface so the artichokes can stand upright in the steamer.
With a sharp serrated blade knife, cut off the top 1 inch of the artichoke to remove the thorns and expose the inner choke. Use kitchen scissors to snip off the thorns from remaining leaves. Place the artichokes evenly in the steamer alternating between lemon quarters.
Season artichokes with salt and pepper by evenly sprinkling over exposed chokes and leaf openings. Crush oregano in the palm of your hand then sprinkle over exposed chokes and leaf openings. Drizzle olive oil into exposed chokes and into leaf openings.
Place cover on steamer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Steam for 60 minutes.
Prep the Dipping Sauce
In a small bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to suit your taste.
Test the Artichokes
After 60 minutes, use tongs to remove an outer leaf. Immediately replace steamer cover. Test leaf by placing in mouth, flesh side on lower teeth, then scrape the flesh off with your teeth. Flesh should release easily and feel smooth and creamy. If not, set timer for another 10 minutes and test again. Continue testing in 10 minute intervals until the flesh is smooth and creamy when scraped.
Serving
Serve with dipping sauce. Use a separate large bowl for discarded leaves. Consume leaves starting with the outer ones and work toward the inner leaves. As you get closer to the choke the leaves will get thinner and thinner to the point where they will be difficult to handle. They will form a cone shape. Pull this cone off with your hands. There will be some residual leaf meat flopping at the bottom of the cluster in your hand. Dab this cluster into the dipping sauce and nibble the goodness, ensuring you don't go too far up into the inedible part of the cone.
The steamed choke is now visible and you now have the remaining artichoke heart. The choke appears round and fuzzy and is inedible. Use the blade of a knife and create a small incision at an oblique angle where the choke and heart are. Slide the knife to the center of the heart. Rotate the knife around the heart then lift out the choke in a single piece. Discard the choke.
Spoon dipping sauce into the bowl of the heart. Quarter the heart and enjoy its creamy delights!
Enjoy!
Yum! And so nutritious.
I grew up eating artichokes with my dad in Southern California. While living in the Bay Area, I continued eating them and saw them growing when driving up the coast. Now that I’m no longer living in California, I can still get very good fresh artichokes when they’re in season. Love them! I will do a couple things differently after seeing this tutorial. They are currently in season and I’ve been eating them regularly.