How to cook an artichoke - easy recipes

Tell me how to cook an artichoke? It appeared in our area recently: a new supermarket was opened, where they began to sell various exotic fruits - vegetables. Having looked at a beautiful view, I decided to try it myself, but the first experience was unsuccessful. Either the vegetables were already old, or I cooked them incorrectly. In general, even my husband refused to eat hard and bitter heads, and he loves everything spicy with us.

Surely you have at least once identified in a store or on the market interesting rounded heads covered with petals, like scales. This is the artichoke, the favorite vegetable among Italians. It is not very popular with us yet, because many simply do not know how to cook an artichoke. It's all about the special structure of the edible part of the plant, which is hidden under the inedible rough leaves. Even the inside of the artichoke has a catch - a small but tough part that needs to be cut. For the dish to succeed, it is important not only to choose a quality product, but also to clean the heads correctly. What is this miracle of nature and how to get to its healthy and tasty core?

Secrets of choosing and reading artichokes

Artichoke inflorescences are used for food, and only unopened ones. They look like cones with petals - scales, depending on the variety, they can be green or purple. The upper petals have a rough texture, with an unpleasant bitterness - they must be removed. But under them are juicy thick leaves and the most valuable thing is a fleshy receptacle. Moreover, in the center, it also has an inedible part to be removed. It resembles a bunch of prickly hay. It is better to buy young fruits, heavy and dense, and store them in the refrigerator in a bag for no more than a week, otherwise the artichoke will darken.

For the dish to succeed, it is important to properly clean the inflorescences:

First, remove the tough top leaves.
Cut off the top of the inflorescence.
Trim the stem as close to the flower as possible.
Divide the fruit in half and cut a barbed, hard part inside the receptacle. You can leave it intact, but it will clean the inside after cooking.

In the process of cleaning, all sections should be immediately lubricated with lemon juice - they quickly darken. The stem can also be boiled. Inside, it is dense and juicy, you just need to peel the top skin.

Do not forget that when you cut the artichoke, it secretes juice that eats into the skin. Use gloves to avoid staining your hands. And if you could not avoid painting, wipe your hands after the kitchen with lemon juice or vinegar. They will help get rid of dark spots.

How to cook an artichoke - simple yet delicious exotic vegetable recipes

Artichoke inflorescences are not only tasty, but also very healthy and satisfying. Due to the high fiber content, they leave a feeling of fullness for a long time. In addition, dishes with the addition of artichoke improve the digestive process, lower cholesterol and awaken appetite. The most delicious artichoke is baked or in salads, if cooked correctly.

Artichoke baked with vegetables

Wash, but not clean the heads yet, just cut off the stem for now. Bake them in the oven until dark brown (about 45 minutes). Put the carrots and onions in a skillet until tender. In the meantime, peel the top leaves of the baked artichoke and cut out the tough core. Put the stewed vegetables on a baking sheet, and the artichoke on top and brown in the oven (5-40 minutes).Separately make the sauce: mix olive oil with lemon juice, salt a little. Pour over the prepared artichoke with vegetables and serve.

Artichoke salad

Spicy salad will serve as an excellent side dish for mashed potatoes or as an independent light dish for a snack. To do this, cut 8 fruits into 4 pieces, remove the top petals and cut out the middle. Boil the inflorescences in water with the addition of the juice of half a lemon (about 20 minutes).

Separately prepare the dressing: pass the head of garlic through the garlic bowl, add chopped parsley. Pour in 5 tbsp. l. olive oil and juice from the second half of the lemon. Beat well to sauce became thick.

Put the finished artichoke in a salad bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds, seeds (sunflower or pumpkin seeds) and pour over the sauce.

Boiled artichoke stuffed with parsley and garlic - video

artichoke recipes