Art of the Choke

A few months ago the boy and I were watching an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats on the Food Network. The episode was on artichokes, and Alton showed how to both cook and eat one. It seemed weird to me that an episode would focus on how you actually eat the food, along with the cooking. But according to the boy, while he had eaten artichoke hearts, he had never had an actual artichoke by itself.

Growing up in Southern California artichokes were a vegetable we ate fairly commonly. Until the boy mentioned it was something new to him, I had little idea that they were so unique in other parts of the country. But when I saw artichokes at the grocery store this weekend I figured it would be a perfect time for the boy to have his first artichokes.

Not only was the going to be his first time eating them, it was going to be my first time cooking them. I didn't have a steamer, but after some research I was able to craft one out of a pot, a strainer, and a cookie sheet.
In the water underneath I added a slice of lemon and clove of garlic, and set it to boil. The chokes could have probably cooked a little longer, but I was impatient and didn't want to wait any longer. A few leaves on the outside were a little tough, but once you got a layer or two in they were pretty perfect.
The boy's verdict? He was a fan! Although I think part of it might have been the garlic butter dipping sauce I made him as well. I wound up sticking with a vinaigrette salad dressing I had in the fridge instead.

Have you ever eaten a whole artichoke? If so, what's your favorite thing to dip them in?

~Shoshanah