Photographic Guide to Eating Artichokes

Yes, I did blog post about eating artichokes not that long ago, but it didn't include too many pictorial details. That's because I usually eat my artichoke on Shabbat. So last night when I ate an artichoke I took a few pictures and hope that it helps those still in the dark.

Not long ago I discovered that there still are so many Israelis, besides gazillions of others all over the world, who haven't ever tried artichokes. In our family they are considered a great winter delicacy. Of course there are those who eat them just because it's an excuse to eat mayonnaise, but that's not me. If I'm eating one "as a meal," I dip the "petal" in avocado or techina, but if it's a "snack," then I'll just use a bit of olive oil with/without freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Here's the equipment all set up:

• lots of white napkins*
• a bowl or plate for dipping
• a bowl to hold the artichoke and eaten leaves

The is the part you eat.

Dip in good quality olive oil, such as Meshek Achiya משק אחיה, or whatever creamy dip you like, or just eat it straight for the flavor and no fat.

See the teeth marks? This is what an artichoke petal looks like after being eaten. Yes, there is a lot leftover.

*Since "cleaning" an artichoke before cooking never guarantees it will be perfectly clean, keep lots of napkins to wipe on both sides of the petal. The flower is closed, as you can see in the pictures.

Do You Eat "Artichoke?" Here's a "How To" Guide

The artichoke is a vegetable that looks like a flower or the top of asparagus. 

It's one of those foods I had never even heard of, and certainly didn't eat, until we had been in Israel for awhile. Our family loves them and looks forward to having one as a first course at our Shabbat Lunch.

Each artichoke is a portion.

Before cooking, soak the artichokes in salt water to make sure they are clean of bugs. And rinse very well. Then put them in a large pot with lots of water and cook until the "petals" come off easily. We eat artichokes cold or room temperature.

There's a special technique to eating artichokes. Most people like to eat them with dips of some sort, whether techina, olive oil, mayonnaise, freshly squeezed lemon or anything similar you like.

• Pull off a "petal," check that it's clean, and even wipe on a napkin. 
• Dip the fleshy end, which had been attached to the plant, into your "dip," and pull off the flesh and dip with your teeth. It's easier than it sounds.
• After eating most of the petals, you will get to a sort of "bowl," which is known as the "heart." 
• Pull out the hairy stuff filling it. 
• Add some "dip," and enjoy!
• Artichoke hearts can be found in many freezer sections and is considered a delicacy. People stuff them with chopped meat or rice and then cook.

Enjoy, they are worth the challenge.

How to eat Artichokes!

The SEASON!

There are all sorts of foods we eat here in Israel, which we had never even heard of when we lived in New York. Two of them were our "First Course" this Shabbat morning.

They both begin with "A," and neither is an "apple."

Artichoke dipped in avocado. Sorry, but there's no picture of my simple avocado salad.

Take a ripe avocado, and mash it with a bit of mayonnaise, chopped onion, some garlic and olive oil. Yes, that's it.

And the artichoke* is also very easy to make.

All you have to do, after soaking and rinsing to try to make sure nothing's lurking in the leaves/petals, is to boil (add peppercorns and lemon to the water) it until the leaves are easy to pull out.

How do you eat it? Well, pull out each leaf and dip the "fleshy part" in "something." That something can be olive oil, avocado salad, mayonnaise, t'china, whatever or nothing. When the leaves are gone, you'll have its "heart," plus the "hair." Pull out the hair and eat the heart, stuffed if you want.

*They are like giant asparagus.