OK, I bought a package of a dozen fresh picked baby artichokes. And I
have *no* idea what to do with them. I love the big ones and usually just
steam them. But of course, with those the leaves are tough and you have
to scrape away until you get inside enough. (And BTW, I love the stem and
the choke - call me wierd.) Can these little guys be cooked somehow to be
eaten whole? If they need the same treatment as the big guys, what's the
point?

Thanks,
MK

MK

Log onto http://www.theartisan.net/TheArtisanMain.htm

Then type "artichokes" into the search engine about half way down the
page. About 20 artichoke recipes will be found. Many are for whole or
half small artichokes. (We too love the stems - but not the chokes. The
baby artichokes have little or no chokes.)

Regards

Jerry @ The Artisan
http://www.theartisan.net



"Michael L Kankiewicz" > wrote in message
...
>
> OK, I bought a package of a dozen fresh picked baby artichokes. And I
> have *no* idea what to do with them. I love the big ones and usually
> just
> steam them. But of course, with those the leaves are tough and you
> have
> to scrape away until you get inside enough. (And BTW, I love the stem
> and
> the choke - call me wierd.) Can these little guys be cooked somehow
> to be
> eaten whole? If they need the same treatment as the big guys, what's
> the
> point?
>
> Thanks,
> MK
>

MK,

For a short answer: You can treat them like big 'chokes, just steam
them for only ten to fifteen minutes give or take depending on the
size. To test, just like the big ones, see if a fork goes easily into
the heart. Use whatever sauce you like, or don't like; I usually have
mine plain. The little ones have very little waste and no choke. So
when you get down to the heart, just trim off the bitter outside of the
stem and pop the whole thing in your mouth.

I certainly enjoy the little ones more than the tough big ones. I try
to get the biggest little-ones I can find, about the size of a plum,
and two or three are a great side dish.

Enjoy,

Ken

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 21:02:31 -0500, Michael L Kankiewicz
> wrote:

>
>OK, I bought a package of a dozen fresh picked baby artichokes. And I
>have *no* idea what to do with them. I love the big ones and usually just
>steam them. But of course, with those the leaves are tough and you have
>to scrape away until you get inside enough. (And BTW, I love the stem and
>the choke - call me wierd.) Can these little guys be cooked somehow to be
>eaten whole? If they need the same treatment as the big guys, what's the
>point?

In Provence, they do a really nice stew with them, called "artichauts
à la barigoule". IIRC, sauté some onions, garlic and some bacon bits,
add small artichokes, a glass of white wine, season with salt, pepper
and thyme, cook slowly for half an hour or so. add some chopped
parsley and serve.
Witzh fresh baby artichokes (but not with frozen), you can make a
great artichoke carpaccio. Pare them well (which means discarding
1/3rd of the leaves and cutting off the top third of the artichoke),
cut in half, discard the hay if necessary, then cut in very thin
slices. While you are doing that, plunge the slices in a big bowl of
cold water with half a lemon juice in it. When ready, drain the
slices, lay down on plates in a single layer, add Parmesan shavings,
olive oil, salt and pepper, and serve.

Nathalie in Switzerland

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005, Nathalie Chiva wrote:

> Witzh fresh baby artichokes (but not with frozen), you can make a
> great artichoke carpaccio. Pare them well (which means discarding
> 1/3rd of the leaves and cutting off the top third of the artichoke),
> cut in half, discard the hay if necessary, then cut in very thin
> slices. While you are doing that, plunge the slices in a big bowl of
> cold water with half a lemon juice in it. When ready, drain the
> slices, lay down on plates in a single layer, add Parmesan shavings,
> olive oil, salt and pepper, and serve.

Uncooked? Excuse my lack of experience.

Thanks,
MK

Michael L Kankiewicz wrote:
> OK, I bought a package of a dozen fresh picked baby artichokes. And I
> have *no* idea what to do with them. I love the big ones and usually
> just steam them. But of course, with those the leaves are tough and
> you have to scrape away until you get inside enough. (And BTW, I
> love the stem and the choke - call me wierd.) Can these little guys
> be cooked somehow to be eaten whole? If they need the same treatment
> as the big guys, what's the point?
>
> Thanks,
> MK

It's been a couple of years but I saw a guest chef on Jewish Cooking with
Joan Nathan prepare them. If I remember correctly, all she did was coat
them (with an egg wash?) then dip the tops of them in kosher salt and
pan-fry them in oil until golden on all sides. I haven't tried this but I
remember they looked very good.

Jill

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 08:30:57 -0500, Michael L Kankiewicz
> wrote:

>On Fri, 25 Feb 2005, Nathalie Chiva wrote:
>
>> Witzh fresh baby artichokes (but not with frozen), you can make a
>> great artichoke carpaccio. Pare them well (which means discarding
>> 1/3rd of the leaves and cutting off the top third of the artichoke),
>> cut in half, discard the hay if necessary, then cut in very thin
>> slices. While you are doing that, plunge the slices in a big bowl of
>> cold water with half a lemon juice in it. When ready, drain the
>> slices, lay down on plates in a single layer, add Parmesan shavings,
>> olive oil, salt and pepper, and serve.
>
>Uncooked? Excuse my lack of experience.

No need for excusing yourself, it *is* surprising, but yes, uncooked
(and that's why the slices must be very thin)

Nathalie in Switzerland