Artichokes are my favorite vegetable. My favorite way to eat them is the way I have my whole life: cooked whole, each leaf dipped in a sharp lemony sauce until you get to the heart, whose choke you free with a butter knife then schmear with the sauce like you’re thickly buttering a piece of bread, and eat it while holding the stem like a lollipop, your eyes closed as you absorb the heady bliss of it all. Clearly, it means a lot to me but I’m not sharing a recipe with three words: Just boil them. A few years ago I started steaming artichokes instead of boiling them and found I preferred it — less wet, and seemingly more evenly cooked. But it still didn’t warrant mention here, though, too simple.
A few weeks ago one of my favorite chefs on TikTok, Hailee Catalano, who you’d be mad to not be following, made artichokes and she did two things differently that have changed the course of my artichoke-steaming life forever, something I didn’t even know was possible. The first is that she halved the artichokes before steaming them. I’ve seen this in roasted artichoke recipes, but never steamed. But it’s brilliant here too: They soften more quickly this way (30 minutes, tops) and it’s a lot neater to eat from the plate, not rolling around.
The next a-ha thing Hailee did was wait to remove the fuzzy choke, the part you don’t want to eat. Most recipes that begin with halved artichokes suggest you remove the choke before cooking them, as opening it up has given you easy access, but I’m telling you: Don’t. You’re removing it when it’s the most pesky, and you’re the least likely to get it out clean. If you wait until after it’s cooked, it comes out so cleanly and easily, you’ll be glad you did.
The final thing Hailee did was she finished the cooked artichokes by searing them in a skillet with garlic butter, a lot of it, and basting it over. As a purist, I didn’t find that this increased my own personal artichoke-eating enjoyment (but it also certainly didn’t decrease, see: garlic butter). But as a person who likes my food to be pretty for you and other friends, I absolutely love this presentation and couldn’t resist.
Additional unsolicited opinions about artichokes from a lifelong devotee:
- Sometimes I didn’t even trim artichokes. The thorny ends seem to soften and almost disappear when steamed. Try it on one and see if you agree.
- Even though I still did it here (I had a sad old lemon to use up), I honestly think rubbing a lemon over the cut parts of the artichoke to prevent browning does little as they’re going to brown anyway, and end up the same color once cooked. When lemons can run $1 or more each at some stores, it’s worth it to know this. Lemons are utterly magic on finished artichokes; save it for the end.
- I don’t think globe artichokes, shown here, are superior to regular-sized ones, so save your money. To me, it’s just a bigger choke.
- Related: Have you ever seen those “If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t tell anyone, but there would be signs” memes online? That’s me I feel every time I buy artichokes on the East Coast. If you’re in one of those magical West Coast or Italian places that grow them readily, do know that I am sick with envy.
Previously
6 months ago: Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions
1 year ago: Baby Wedge Salad with Avocado and Pickled Onions
2 years ago: Chicken Liver Pâté
3 years ago: Sheet Pan Chow Mein
4 years ago: Crispy Crumbled Potatoes
5 years ago: Essential French Onion Soup
6 years ago: Asparagus and Egg Salad with Walnuts and Mint
7 years ago: Cornbread Waffles and Mushroom Tartines
8 years ago: Sesame Soba and Ribboned Omelet Salad and Apricot Hazelnut Brown Butter Hamantaschen
9 years ago: The Consolation Prize (A Mocktail) and Baked Chickpeas with Pita Chips and Yogurt
10 years ago: Whole-Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread
11 years ago: Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Tahini
12 years ago: Soft Eggs with Buttery Herb-Gruyere Toast Soldiers
13 years ago: Spaetzle
14 years ago: Irish Soda Bread Scones and Spinach and Chickpeas
15 years ago: Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Bialys
16 years ago: Caramel Walnut Banana Upside Down Cake and Swiss Easter Rice Tart
17 years ago: Mixed Berry Pavlova
Steamed Artichokes
- 2 to 3 full-sized fresh artichokes
- 1 to 2 lemons, halved
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper
- A big pat of butter (optional)
- A few garlic cloves, halved lengthwise (optional)
- Mayonnaise, for dipping sauce
Steam artichokes: Bring a couple inches of water to boil in a large pot with a lid and place a steamer basket [mine looks like this] in the bottom. Add artichokes — don’t worry about whether they’re standing or flopped over. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over and nestle the empty lemon half in the middle, just for flavor. Cover with a lid and steam artichokes over moderate heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tip of a knife inserts easily into the thickest part where the leaves meet the stem.
Use tongs to transfer artichokes to a cutting board, and use a spoon or paring knife to remove and discard the fuzzy choke. Your artichokes are now ready to eat, but if you’d like a fancy finish:
For a sizzled finish: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add butter and garlic. Once hot, place cut sides of one artichoke in pan and cook until browned and crisp underneath, then transfer to serving platter. Repeat with remaining artichokes. Pour any butter left in pan and the garlic over your artichokes. Season with salt and pepper.
To make my favorite artichoke dip: Place a spoonful of mayo (about 1 to 2 tablespoons, start with less) in a bowl and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over. Stir to combine and season well with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch or two of salt. If it needs more lemon — I like it very lemony — squeeze more in. If you’d prefer it creamier, add more mayo.
Leftover artichoke halves keep in the fridge for a few days and can be rewarmed in the microwave or the oven, covered so they don’t dry out.
I tried a whole artichoke years ago and was disappointed in end results. If I could find the baby ones, I’d be so happy. I also enjoy the jarred ones, but I’m always down to try something more than once. Guess this recipe will be the one to try a fresh one with.
Same here. I found them to be stringy and you barely get any flesh out of them. And while I like mayo just fine, I don’t love it enough for it to be the component that makes the artichoke into a worthwhile snack. I’m much happier with the jarred ones.
I just grew my own because I now live in the right climate. It turns out cooking them directly after cutting makes a much sweeter artichoke, plus the store ones are often too mature. They are like asparagus in that once you eat one just cut, you will never buy them in the store again.
I grew up eating artichokes. Love them! Just got a beautiful pair at Trader Joe’s yesterday. I love the looks of these brown and buttery halved artichokes. I’ll give it a try!
We’ve always steamed them, usually with a round slice of lemon under each trimmed base. I’m mystified as to why the cooking time varies so greatly. Seems as if the type, and age of the artichoke must be a factor. We are at high altitude, to add to the guessing game.
My sister recently said that she’s started to steam them on the rack in her instant pot. We gave it a try, and actually overcooked them a bit. Next time I’m trying 10 minutes.
A favorite dinner is the Italian sausage stuffed artichoke from The Silver Palate cookbook. So decadent!
hmmmm as a fellow artichoke enthusiast – they are my favorite food – I am hesitant to mess with simplicity of braising in salted water with garlic lemon and olive oil but for you I will give it a try! Mayo is my preferred artichoke dipper and I think it surpasses butter by a lot. Clings nicely and makes it a full meal. YUM!
As a West Coaster, PNW in fact, I am growing my own now. I will for try this when they are ready. These were always a treat as a kid. We dipped in straight up melted butter.
Same! After seeing my neighbors grow them, we added a garden bed to our front yard and began growing them. They’re surprisingly easy! I do let a couple flower each year–the flowers are so pretty and are always covered in bees :)
I am in the PNW too and have a large varied garden. Artichoke has been my favorite since growing up as kid in N.J. They were a special treat that my mom indulged us. We always had to split with someone else in the family.
The first time that I saw an artichoke plant after moving to the far PNW, I was smitten with it. The grey fuzzy 4 foot high plant is beautiful. They each produce many artichokes. They are perennial and come back each year. And, if you leave some artichokes on the plant they develop into full blooms which are the most beautiful blue. They are obviously in the thistle family. The flowers are easily 6-8 inches in diameter. So, now my favorite plant, too
I plant an entire artichoke hedge around our chicken run. They give the chickens some shade and enjoy the very fertile soil there (I give the artichokes the best soil in my garden!). I have 12-15 plants in the hedge and we eat lots of artichokes. Leave lots for the blooms too. Unfortunately this year we had very cold night in January without snow cover and I lost them all. So, I’m starting over. Forgot that the bunny rabbits like them when they are little so lost a few and had to make some ugly cages to protect them until they are bigger. But, I will have my hedge!
I almost never share an artichoke any more. sometimes I only have one and I will pt it on the table for my husband and I but I end up eating almost the whole things. He just doesn’t move fast enough, I mean enjoy them as much as I do! I cook the in my pressure cooker which is essentially steamed. I might try cut in half for guests who are squeamish about getting into them, I think it would be much easier. I love them w a very garlic, lemony mayo. Maybe have to be careful as artichoke does something to your taste buds and things go weird. So parsley, maybe dill just because I love it, too. Sometimes we make a mayo w/ curry and Worcestershire sauce.
Love the artichokes. Thanks for the new ideas on prep. I will give it a go.
More artichoke thoughts….the only people who even begin to approach my love of artichokes are the Italians and I one time was in Rome in April when they were starting to come in. They enjoy two popular preps, one is baised w/ herbs, garlic and olive oil. One is fried.
I loved seeing restaurants w/ artichokes stacked in pyramids 6 feet high in the doorway. I ate artichokes 2x day every single day. I came home and fixed them that way but I always go back to simple steamed.
I have not been to California for the artichoke festivals. It is on my bucket list. I think it’s funny that these events pair them with wines that also come from that region. Artichoke does something to your taste buds. Eat artichoke and then drink a sip of water and you will notice that it tastes sweet which is weird. I am not a big wine drinker so not a problem for me.
love the artichokes!!!
Mine are thriving in horrific soil in Mesquite, Nevada.
Deb, have you tried the ATK roasted artichokes? Essentially they are halved, trimmed and roasted. I haven’t gone back to boiled since then. The flavor is so much better. But you are making me think that the laborious process of trimming them, removing the choke, and putting in lemon water isn’t necessary–I will try just halving next time.
My favorite vegetable, too; once I learned about roasting in the oven, that’s the only way I cook them now. I slice cloves of garlic and insert some between the leaves, sprinkle of salt, drizzle of olive oil, wrap in 2 pieces of heavy duty foil. 425 for about 1 hour, unwrap carefully, test a leaf to see if it pulls away easily. My Italian-American mother would stuff artichokes with a mixture of bread crumbs, anchovies, garlic, capers, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, then steam. I stuff mine too but roast in the oven instead … only time I use anchovies.
Thank you from an artichoke lover since I was a little kid. I’m now 83. I can never get enough of them. My kids loved them, too.
Love love love! I’m one of those West Coasters and my artichokes grow like weeds. I often don’t eat them all because the small ones are so much work (taking off the outer leaves and thorns and chokes, with not much left). I’ll have to try leaving on the small thorns and removing the chokes after cooking to see if that makes it worthwhile!
I love artichokes. I have always boiled them whole — any other preparation I’ve tried has been SO much hassle and fuss to prep them before cooking, I never bother. But this only adds a couple extra steps and it looks great, I think I’ll try this next time!
Also, a PSA: for anyone who’s near California, the Artichoke Festival is held every spring in Monterey, CA and it’s delightful. Tons of artichoke food to try, a great wine tasting section, an excellent and cheap farmers market section to buy all kinds of produce, and scavenger hunts and stuff for kids. It’s one of my favorite festivals and I go almost every year!
I grew up in Castroville (the town outside of Monterey known as “Artichoke Capital of the World”). I haven’t been to the festival since I was a kid, when it was held on the town baseball field. It seems like I need to go back! There was no wine back then, just lots of Budweiser. I always loved sharing the fact that Marilyn Monroe was the first “Artichoke Queen.”
I like my artichokes simple, but once I tried using yuzu mayonnaise, with added lemon and salt, I will never go back to plain mayo. Any Asian market should carry a couple of brands.
ooo…yum, thanks will try this!
My mother always made her artichokes in a pressure cooker and I as well. I started removing the choke recently before cooking. I slam the globe on the counter to open the artichoke, then go in with a spoon to scoop out the fuzzies. I season with salt, pepper, minced fresh garlic, pecorino Romano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil before cooking for just 10 minutes.
This! I grew up with my mother pressure cooking them, and I do too. Quick and easy and delicious. Just trim the stem so they stand up in the pressure cooker and that’s it. Thorns aren’t too pocky and middle is soft and silky – and not wet!
I grew up eating artichokes infused with tarragon, in both the steaming water and the dressing, and I can’t think of one without the other. Try it and see!
Hi there,
Just another tip: I add a whole garlic in addition to the lemon to the water .
Bring to boil with artichokes and turn off the gas.
Let it sit for 20 min, take out garlic and squeeze all the cloves out. Mix with mayo, salt and pepper, delicious dip!
Oh , and very little water, just about s cup
I am in the California bay area and my artichokes are growing like crazy. The two plants I have are around 4’x4′ and have so far (more to come) produced a couple dozen artichokes, some of which I have given away to happy friends. After careful cleaning (organic so watch out for ants, aphids and the occasional earwig) steam for 30 minutes in plain water, covered. Done. The first artichokes ready on the plants are so tender you can even eat the delicious long stems, really almost the entire thing, the chokes are almost nonexistent. As the season goes on, they get a bit less tender but consistently wonderful. Homegrown is a different vegetable than those that are shipped and sitting in the grocery store for who knows how long. I do nothing to them, no oil, no salt and no lemon in the water. My one tip is too stir a bit of fresh lemon juice and soy sauce into mayo. Amazing! I pay a lot to live in CA but the artichokes pay me back!
Another artichoke lover here! My mom learned to prepare artichokes in a gourmet cooking class she took when I was a kid in the 80’s. Love all the extra tips and tricks you’ve shared. I still just trim and steam them like she did back then and every artichoke I eat takes me back to when we dipped each leaf in mayonnaise and I thought we were so fancy.
This is going to sound horrifying to many- but I clean, split, gut and NUKE them for 6 minutes in a zip-loc bag -do not seal it! DONE. Then I dress them however I see fit (usually just olive oil, salt and aleppo) and grill until crisp and carmelized. Just add lemon! Fastest, easiest, most delicious cheat I have.
Not horrified, I want to give this a try! do you nuke them one at a time for 6 minutes or can you do multiple at a time?
I can only attest to one at a time, so this might only apply to us single folks for time saving. But 12 min for 2 people is still pretty great! Also…do it. Never walk past an artichoke on sale again in your life!
This is what I do! Except I don’t even clean them before. Just whole artichokes in the bag with a little water, for something more like 10-12 minutes since they’re still whole.
Oh, I’m sorry you are not my neighbor, because I have several bushes that are about to lay so many on me I’ll have trouble keeping up, and would gladly doorbell ditch a few! I have never sliced them in half first. Doing that for dinner tonight.
Oh Deb, will you hate me if I tell you I grew up about 15 miles from Half Moon Bay, the northernmost part of the coast that is the Artichoke Capitol of the World (proudly claimed by Castroville, about two-ish hours south of us). When we lived nearer the coast, we grew artichokes in the back yard. It’s too hot here. Come to California, I’ll take you on an artichoke tour! PS my tomatoes are not just in the ground, they have blooms already. Sorry.
It got up to 120 here last summer. My artichokes went dormant, then popped right back when it cooled back down. Give it a try. They go dormant in winter too.
I love Café Hailee’s content and I’ve tried several of her recipes. Artichokes are my kryptonite. Every time I try to cook them it’s a disaster, but maybe I’ll give them one more chance.
I grew up eating (and loving) sad East coast artichokes – my California-raised mom would get them every year. I have never ever realized you could leave the stem on!!! She always cut it flat so it was easy to steam (she knew that trick) and so they sat tidily on the plate. But I’m guessing we may have been losing out on some flavorful bits?? (I realize as I type that maybe they came with the stems cut off – nevertheless if I score one with a stem I’ll be sure to keep it intact.)
Side note: I had the worst date-food ever when I ordered stuffed artichokes and couldn’t figure out how to eat them and managed to run the oily dressing all the way down my arm. I’ve never resolved how I should have tried to eat them and I’ve never ordered artichokes in a restaurant since.
Love the lemon note. I have a lemon tree but when it is rarely not producing and I need to pay for lemons I’m all “wait! what? this costs a dollar?”
I made this with the Serious Eats 2-minute mayo for the dipping sauce. Full #kenjianddeb moment!!
After reading the headnote and the recipe it occurs to me that a person who had never had an artichoke before would have no idea how to eat the damned thing once it was cooked.
From the looks of it, you might think the entire thing was edible.
Agree! Is the stem edible? I assume so, or why else would you peel it? How do you know when you’ve reached the heart? I did not grow up eating artichokes (or hardly any other fresh vegetables for that matter – my mother only knew how to open a can.) I first learned how to eat one in my 30s from my husband, but i must admit I’m still confused about the stem. Since I trust Deb implicitly, I may try cooking a couple of whole ones for the first time and see what happens with the stems.
When you grow your own artichokes you can cut the stem long, even 4″ and do not have to peel them, just steam the whole thing. The stems taste just like the heart, believe it or not. This is at the beginning of the season, as the artichoke plant gets older, the stem gets more stringy. When you buy artichokes in the store, the stem is almost always cut off very short, probably for shipping ease. I eat mine the day I pick them so they are as fresh as you can get them. Obviously they are not that fresh in the store by a long shot. This is a particular delicacy for those lucky enough to be able to grow their own.
A solution re browning of artichoke surfaces when cutting/trimming them is to use 1/4 teaspoon of Vitamin C powder in a pot of water as a temporary holding spot while I finish preparing the rest. We make linguine with artichokes, nicoise olives, garlic, parsley and basil. Thanks for the tip about the choke.
Must add that homemade mayo takes it up a notch or ten. Can make as lemony as you like and takes less than 5 minutes. My absolute favorite since a child!
I have made this and love it! But my new favorite way is to halve them, throw them into my sous vide (bagged of course) and then when finished Brush them with a lemony olive oil and toss on the grill for a slight char. No wetness at all and delicious!
After steaming, brush cut surface with olive oil and a touch of liquid smoke. Grill briefly and serve with aioli as a dipping sauce. You’re welcome!
I love artichokes, favorite thing ever. But I’m on the East Coast too, and for the past couple of years, I can’t get any good ones, even in season. A couple of weeks ago, I was finally was able to buy 2 larger size ones (and yes, I do think the size matters – the larger ones are more tender in my experience), but nothing else looked even halfway decent. I’m not just talking about the size either. The leaves are brown, and dried out looking, and floppy. You just can’t get good artichokes around here. As a very, very rare treat, I order them from Goldbelly. I’ve ordered from them twice and I wince at the price (and you do still have to order them in season, at least for them to be truly jumbo) but if you really love artichokes, I think it is a treat worth getting.
And I’ll probably never ever order anything else from that company, but if you take into account the actual cost of shipping something like that, they really aren’t too outrageously priced. It is like dental surgery (to make am probably poor comparison): very expensive but not overpriced for what it is.
Probably not in my budget this year due to the above, but really, in season the artichokes are wonderful, and much better than anything you’ll see around here on the East Coast. But get them in season! The off season ones are good, but not special like when they are in season.
My favorite artichokes are the ones from Hillstone (in NY or LA, Houstons in most other places). Cut in half, super charred and served with a remoulade type dipping sauce. We’ve managed to replicate them at home now that we no longer live close to a Hillstone by parboiling, brushing with a lemon garlic oil, then charring on the grill (which adds a nice smoky flavor), occasionally basting with more garlic oil.
YES.
Yes! We’re so happy when we get to our local Hillstone restaurant, which is Cherry Creek Grill, in Denver, and ask if they have artichokes, and the answer is yes!
We asked, and they only have them in season, from one farm in California only. I was thinking that this Smitten Kitchen recipe might be similar to how they do it. I think they cut their artichokes into thirds though, then do a quick grill over oak, with garlic butter.
I grew up eating artichokes pretty often, but I usually don’t feel like messing with them as an adult. I remember more than one guest being baffled by how to eat them when we’d have friends over. My mom always steamed them whole, with the choke still inside. We’d dip the leaves in lemon butter or garlic mayo (mayo + garlic powder). Yuzu mayo sounds delicious!
I love artichokes but especially the baby ones. They have no chokes. They are delicious braised in EVOO, butter, diced onion, garlic and white wine!! Yummy.
Love an artichoke. My mom and I will inhale them until they go out of season, which sadly is now the case out west. One of our favorite places steams them halved, then grills them which is pretty awesome! These look great too :)
Also, at home growing up my mom would steam the chokes using water and lemon, then serve with a sauce made from Best Foods mayo, lemon juice, tabasco, S&P, and probably this garlic seasoning salt mix- because it was the 90s. So good.
This post made me so happy! I have had a lifelong love affair with artichokes being from CA. I shocked the cashier at Trader Joe’s in Arlington, VA when I lived there because I was buying artichokes AND knew what to do with them. Boiling has always been my preferred method and I add smashed garlic cloves, a little bit of olive oil, a few squeezes of lemon and salt and pepper to the water. This is how my mother prepared them. We always ate them with mayonnaise, which I agree is the best way. A couple of years ago I made a sauce with Trader Joe’s organic mayonnaise– it’s incredibly good, a bit of lemon juice, maybe a little garlic (I can’t remember) and TARRAGON. The tarragon made the sauce sing. I highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to trying steaming artichokes, like Deb suggests, and maybe even trying the garlic butter browning technique. If Deb likes it, I can like it too.
I’ve been making smitten kitchen recipes since I was a student at Barnard in the early days of SK, and my very first comment on the site, inspired by such an incredible artichoke discussion is this: I can’t be the only Californian whose mom would cook artichokes in the pressure cooker, can I?! Thank you for this post, Queen Deb, artichokes are spiky globes of joy.
The recipe says “remove the bottom inch of thorny leaves” The pictures look as though you also cut off an inch or so on the top of the artichoke? Is that correct?
Yum! I have started steaming artichokes in our slow cooker which is way easier than any other method I’ve tried. We make a lemony mayo too, but I add a splash of soy sauce. Adding artichokes to my cart right now…
Ok, this is a game changer – from someone in her 60s! Although I would note that under the “trimming the artichokes” section, I think it’s the top (based upon the picture and my personal experience) – but I’m just sayin……. Tender throughout. And while the sautéing in garlic butter probably would have been gilding the lily, we didn’t do it this time, and enjoyed with melted butter and mayo on the side. Thanks for teaching this old dog new tricks!
I grew up loving artichokes and daresay they are my favourite vegetable, as well.
I was taught to steam them, but never to halve them first, which is delightful.
I also love the method of removing the choke after cooking but before serving, which will please those in the house who don’t like to get all of the centre stuff all over their hands.
Thank you for this!!
This recipe takes all the fear out of making artichokes! I bought smallish artichokes, cut them in quarters, and they cooked even more quickly. A winner!
Thank you! I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who likes them exactly the way you do! I will probably go back to regular steaming again after trying the pressure cooker once more, but this time with halved artichokes (my results have been disappointingly uneven with the pressure cooker).
I am a California native, and the generations before me were farmers and ranchers on the northern CA coast (Pescadero to be exact). I grew up eating artichokes prepared very simply and also steamed. Here’s how my mom did it, and I continue to as well for my own family:
1) Cut off the stem so the artichoke can lay flat.
2) Trim leaves if that’s your preference, though completely optional as you mentioned.
3) Cut up a garlic clove into thin slices and tuck a few in between the leaves in various places (I usually put 2-3 slices of garlic per artichoke).
5) Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of a large pot. Add a splash of red wine vinegar to the water.
5) Place artichokes directly in water, flat side down-they’ll be standing up!
6) Bring to a simmer, put the lid on, and occasionally check to see that all the water hasn’t evaporated. Add more water as needed.
7) They’re usually done in 1 hour.
Enjoy!!
I steam them with some vinegar in the water. I cut the tops off, trim the leaves, then sprinkle the flat tops with EVOO, Italian herb blend, and garlic salt. This is an old recipe from a hippie cookbook that claims these chokes are an aphrodisiac!
I cut them in half if they are big, as you do. Definitely trying the butter finish!
I forgot to mention that firm chokes are freshest. I too am lucky to live on the central coast of California and drive through Castroville at least 3 times a week.
I grew up eating artichokes every Saturday for lunch. My father, born and raised in Hungary, was in charge of the meal. He boiled the artichokes and served them with a simple vinaigrette. Good rye bread and salami rounded out the meal. Delicious and such a good memory! I feel nostalgia whenever I eat one.
I live in artichoke land here in Northern California and buy beautiful artichokes at the farmers market. I will definitely try this method . Thank you
Oh my goodness! Just made these for dinner tonight and they were a delicious hit! The garlic butter skillet just put them over the top amazing. Husband said, “You can make those any time!” Followed all the directions as written.
We love artichokes as a family and I make them a few times every year. I simply steam them too. Will definitely try them this way. The searing sounds great. For the dipping sauce I actually do a tahini based one. Olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, tahini. Try it, goes very well with the artichokes. I use the leftover sauce as a salad dressing later in the week.
Oh forgot to add..I steam mine in the instant pot.
Best artichoke dip is mayo with curry powder. Try it!
I have never understood the appeal of artichokes. To me they have no flavor (only that of the butter you dip them in) and are a pain to eat. The texture is often chewy and unpleasant. The canned ones taste metallic to me. What am I missing?
I’ve always been a little intimidated by artichokes, but I can’t ignore the lovely specimens I’ve been seeing in the stores lately. I finally got over my fear and I made this last night. It was so simple! I just steamed them without the pan frying step, then I made a dipping sauce with some mayo + Greek yogurt + a splash of lemon. Delicious! Thanks, Deb!
Thank you so much for this, Deb. My husband introduced me to boiled artichokes before we were married more than two decades ago, but we hadn’t made them for years. Now we’ve had these far superior steamed and seared artichokes twice this week for supper. I feel like spring has finally arrived.
As a native Californian I’ve eaten artichokes all my life.
As a kid, we were always required to eat our veggies. After scraping the leaves of the artichoke, the choke always looked so hairy and gross. My dad would generously offer to take my artichoke heart, which was the ONLY vegetable this applied to. I was a teenager when I suddenly realized, “Hey! That’s the best part!”
60 years later it still brings a chuckle…
loved this post. I grew up eating artichokes, and was one of the lucky ones on the west coast . when they were in season they were so cheap. I learned to cook them at an early age using the Presto pressure cooker. we would take them out and put them in an aluminum pipe pan with butter and by the time you finished one you were too full to eat anything else. when I got older I bought one of those fancy Kuhn rikon cookers but was always afraid to use it. so I turned to boiling them and loved them just the same. i’m older now and recently lost my mom @ 99 yrs. old. she was never sick, and still alert, just old age. this post just brought back so many memories of eating artichokes for dinner on an old card table watching t.v.
Thank you for this recipe! Can one eat the steamed stem of the artichoke?
The stems are edible, but the outer edge might leave you with some stringy bits you can’t chew. I think it’s worth it to get at the goodness in the center!