James Silverton said...

> Omelet wrote on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:33:38 -0500:
>
>>> Someone on alt.food.diabetic just asked about microwaving
>>> artichokes. As I had recently figured this one out I replied
>>> and then realized that I haven't seen much about this here on
>>> rfc, so this is my response to her, not cross-posted but
>>> nicely recopied just for you:
>>>
>>> "I just started doing this. Works beautifully, too.
>>>
>>> "Find a container that will hold the chokes standing upright,
>>> you may have to trim off the top of the leaves and bottom bit
>>> of the stem. Now is the time to snip off the sharp ends, if
>>> you do that sort of thing.
>>>
>>> "Rinse the chokes, stand either upright or upside down in
>>> container. I haven't found any difference in the cooking but
>>> the upside down method makes them easier to remove and no
>>> surprise pockets of hot water lurk in the recesses.
>>>
>>> "You don't need to drain the artichokes, just put them into
>>> the container. Add about 1/2 inch of water and a nice slice
>>> of lemon or a small glug of vinegar, about the same as you
>>> would do if cooking them stovetop. (You can actually add
>>> flavorings now, too, such as herbs, spices and so forth. I'm
>>> a purist though.)
>>>
>>> "Cover the container and microwave anywhere from 4 minutes
>>> per artichoke to 12 for really big ones. This of course
>>> depends on your microwave, how tightly the container is
>>> covered and the size of the artichokes. Another advantage to
>>> cooking them upside down is that it is easier to poke
>>> the bottom of the stem to see if it is soft yet. Do so until
>>> it is just about soft, let it sit covered a few minutes and
>>> there you are."
>>>
>>> pavane
>
>> Thanks for this. I've been trying to figure out how to nuke
>> artichokes for awhile now, and had not quite gotten it right.
>
> That's really interesting! The big problem with nuking artichokes is
> deciding when they are ready. With water, I've never had an
> unsatisfactory artichoke after cooking for 45 minutes. Steaming is
> unnecessary, just add a little sliced onion, lemon and celery to the
> water.


I'd add, "air out" the artichoke by opening the leaves to give it more
breathing room. Don't remove them, just pull them out.

I don't trim the prickers one by one, rather I hack off the top. This also
helps them sit easily upsidedown.

More recently because of the short spring growing season, I buy canned
artichoke bottoms (not hearts with leaves). Artichoke leaves are just too
time consuming to eat, at my age. Only problem is the citrus brine
they're canned in. They need rinsing and boiling with a good amount of salt
to cancel out most of the citrus flavor (not a 100% guaranteed solution).

Andy