Braised Artichokes

The artichoke season begins from Spring through Fall; perfect time to steam, stuff, bake, braise and thoroughly enjoy fresh artichokes. The artichoke plant is a huge grey growth and the bud is a delicious heart. In older flowers it’s what’s called the fuzzy part, choke (or beard), and it needs to be removed. But in baby artichokes, the choke remains soft and edible. In this video, I am using garden to plate purple artichokes but not fully grown.

Fill up a large bowl of water and add lemon juice. Keep half lemon near you.
Remove small leaves that surround the the base of the artichoke.
To turn an artichoke (tourner un artichaut), grip it from the stem and hold a long and very sharp knife against the artichoke with your right hand. Use your lefthand to rotate the artichoke against the knife, trimming off the outermost leaves as you go. Continue rotating–it may take several rotations since you should try not to cut too deeply with the knife and cut into the inner flesh–until you see the pale flesh of the inner part of the artichoke.
With a small paring knife, peel the outer skin from the stem going down to the base. Slice through each leaf to cut off the top and depending on the variety of the artichoke, you may want to cut slightly above the heart. Cut in half starting from the stem and remove the choke with a melon baller. Rub artichoke with lemon half and soak in lemon water until ready to use.

Drain and pat dry artichokes. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan. Add fat and sweat artichokes (cut side down) for 5 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper – add crushed garlic and herbs. Deglaze with wine or stock, put the lid on and let steam for 10 to 15 mins according to the size of the vegetables. Remove the lid and continue to cook for an additional 5 to 10 mins until golden brown. Flip artichokes, turn off the heat and check doneness. Enjoy!