Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Featured Ingredient for May

Drum roll please....

Artichokes are back in season! And I've picked them as the featured ingredient for May. I can't wait to see what recipes the Beauties have in store for one of my favorite vegetables. 

But what I'd like to know right now is how you eat just a plain, ole artichoke? 

Everyone seems to have their preferred method. In my family, we boil/steam the artichokes until you can poke the tender heart. Then we peel off the leaves and scraaaape the meaty part of each leaf with our teeth. But only after we've dipped the leaf in a heaping pile of mayonnaise. Then we pile the leaf carnage in a big community bowl. 

More recently I was introduced to a butter/garlic dipping sauce also to die for. Anything other dips? Cause I'm open to them, although you may have to pry the jar of Best Foods out of my hands first. I'm currently dreaming of an artichoke heart drenched in the stuff. Don't knock it till you try it.




4 comments:

  1. Fun ingredient choice! Easy to find, but not something I usually cook with (especially fresh), so I’m really excited to start researching recipes! And Curtis LOVES artichokes, so he’ll be thrilled too!

    I grew up on steamed artichokes and we’d dip each leaf liberally in mayo or mayo mixed with balsamic dressing. Like your family, we’d dump the leaves, that had been sucked of all their artichoke goodness, in a community bowl. Now I always use Megan’s aioli recipe for a dipping sauce.

    Will be fun to see SIX (or more) new artichoke recipes!

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  2. PS. I have this vague memory of our sophomore year of college (when you lived in the big house next door to our apartment) of walking in and seeing you steaming an artichoke! That was something I only ate at home when my mom cooked it (definitely was not in our college repertoire of food!) and I remember thinking, this girl who claims she doesn’t cook, obviously does and she’s so rad!

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    1. How funny you remember that! The said thing is, it was probably the only thing I ate that night. If all I had to do was boil water, I was good. The rest of the time was left to the mercy of Kat or Megan taking pity on me and sharing their meals. I've come a long way...

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  3. I am so excited about this! Steamed artichokes are my favorite!!! I prefer to dip the leaves in salted butter. YUMMY!

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