Do You Like Thistles?

Thistles! Yep, artichokes are apparently a form of thistle, and they certainly have the spines to prove it!  Do not let your little ones near those recently acquired artichokes!

A Hearty Bowl of Roman Artichokes!

The thing is, artichokes, despite their being thistles, are simply delicious.  My Italian other half cooks them in a very simple, but very tasty fashion.

If you would like to know how she manages to make artichokes so wonderful, then keep reading to discover a very simple recipe which should qualify as slow fast food!

Artichokes with Garlic and Parsley

What you will need:

• Fresh artichokes!

Artichoke Thistle

Globe artichokes of the type we find here in Italy seem to work fine.  Apparently Italians prefer artichokes from either Liguria, if you can find them, or the more common Sardinian artichokes are good too. How many?  Two or three per person – depends how hungry you are!

• Fresh or frozen parsley

• A garlic clove.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation time:  30 minutes or less.

How you do it:

First of all peel away the outer two or three layers of the artichokes - being careful with those dastardly spines!

Once you’ve peeled away the layers, find a nice sharp knife and cut the stalk off the artichoke ‘bud’.  Then with the same knife, and about a third of the way down the bud cut off the top most section and throw it away.  This will remove most of the spiny bits.  It is inevitable that some of the spiky spines will still lurk deep in the centre of the bud.  Wash the topped artichokes under cold running water.  Right, the artichokes are now ready for the next part.

Chop the parsley finely.  And chop half a clove of garlic finely too, and mix it in with the parsley.  Use enough of this parsley ‘paste’ to cover the tops of the by now flat topped artichokes with a thinnish layer.   You can increase or decrease the amount of garlic to suit your taste, but do not leave it out please!  Add a little salt and pepper too.

Take a pan and pour in water to a depth of about half a finger’s width, or quarter of an inch or so.  Not too much though, the artichokes do not need to go for a swim!  The size of the pan you use depends on how many artichokes you are cooking, logically.

Artichokes, lovely artichokes!

OK, you are now ready too cook these paste topped artichokes, which should sit flat on the base of a pan.

Pop them in the water, stalk section down, and cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes, possibly less.  Don’t worry about the shallowness of the water; the artichokes will kindly draw the water up into themselves and thus ensure they are well cooked.

That’s it!  Serve them while good and hot.  Eating is a wee bit messy, as you have to peel the layers away, and it is easier to do this with your fingers.  As you start to move towards the core, watch out for those little spines!  Oh, and do not forget the heart of the artichoke, which is also delicious to eat!

As to when to serve up this little treat, it’s not a bad idea as a starter, especially if your guests are vegetarians – who like garlic.

I absolutely love artichokes cooked in this way, and it’s not something which takes too much time to prepare or cook.  I guess this simple dish qualifies as ‘slow, fast food’!  What do you reckon Judith?

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Photo Credits:

Artichoke Thistle – mararie on Flickr

A Hearty Bowl of Roman Artichokes! – rfarmer on Flickr

Artichokes, lovely artichokes! – blucolt on Flickr

Big thanks to you guys for using flexible licensing terms! (Like me!)