How To Prepare an Artichoke

Cut off the stem close to the artichoke

Wreaths look nice also with artichokes on them ya know….. ehh ummm ok, back to the non content type stuff.

So then after you do that you…

This one was really tough and hard to cut. Not the norm.

Cut the top off so it looks like this….much less prickly! As you know artichokes have little thorns on the end of their leaves (well most of them do….I don’t think this one did though) well…maybe teeny tiny ones.

Make er look purdy now!

Pull all the little leaves on the back side….you won’t want to eat those little ones anyway and it just makes the whole thing look nicer and more appetizing…..we eat with our eyes ya know!

....and the beautifying continues....

Cut off the ends of each leaf until you get all the way around that sucker.

Like this....see how nice it's looking now?

It will have a really nice finished look…especially when the artichoke is in better shape than this one is….I kind of waited to long to do this post and my chokes got a little rusty….and bruised…but NORMALLY they don’t look like that and your finished product/artichoke will look all pretty and green and non prickly!

Kinda like this...

and this....seeeeee? how purdy?????

yank all you want and just pull that guy apart to rinse out any bugs or crawlies that wandered in there and believe me they DO.

….And since there are no pricklies on there anymore…it won’t hurt a bit.

Drain out the water

Do this over and over until you make sure that you got all the creepy crawlies outa there.

Now stick those puppies in a pot of boiling water with some olive oil and a few garlic cloves (whole) and boil away until they are tender when speared through with a knife.

Just enough water to cover and a glug of olive oil.....don't forget to cover the pot while boiling.

It should only take about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Then serve with melted butter or mayo (my favorite way).

Bon Appetit!

Side note:  Never eat a wreath. Wreaths are strictly for enjoyment on the wall or door or display in an office or bedroom or bathroom or the like. Never ever eat one.