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March 16th is National Artichoke Hearts Day, but today, the first day of spring, we take on the whole fresh vegetable, a spring arrival. The artichoke is actually a large flower bud. If left in the field, the fuzzy choke in the center becomes the blossom (photo #3), which is supported by the thick, spiny…
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In season now, these little artichokes are a treat for artichoke lovers and a lovely shade of vegetable for Easter dinner. Called fiesole (fee-YEH-so-lay) in Italian, the baby purple artichoke—the size of a large egg—belongs to the botanical genus and species, Cynara scolymus, which includes the green globe artichokes and purple globe artichokes. Artichokes are…
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[1] Celebrate with an artichoke baked potato (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill; recipe at right). [2] The flower [not shown] grows in the center top of the globe, which grows atop a long stem (photo courtesy Frieda’s Produce). [3] It looks like celery, but these are cardoons, the ancestor of the artichoke (photo courtesy Turmeric Saffron).…
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The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) is a species of thistle cultivated as a vegetable. It is actually a flower head, a cluster of numerous immature buds of what would be a blossom if not picked before it bloomed. The cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is a wild variant available in spring. The artichoke stem is…
Continue reading “TIP: How To Microwave Artichokes”
