It was my husband that introduced me to fresh artichokes. I guess the idea of eating an entire thistle had never crossed my mind. I had bought marinated artichoke hearts before, but had never seen an entire artichoke until he made them for me when we were first dating. I was slightly embarrassed because he had asked me if I had tried them before and I told them I had. Then, when he brought them out and waited for me to try it I had no idea what to do! I didn't realize that the heart wasn’t the entire plant.
For those of you who don’t know the different parts of an artichoke, here is a handy diagram.
Now that we are all more educated, I can admit that Eric had to show me how to eat it. I can also admit that Eric has seriously increased my culinary vocabulary. I suppose that is what happens when you marry a foodie. I suppose it's much better than me eating a bowl of oatmeal or cereal for dinner every night, which harkens me back to my poor college days.
I digress.
Artichokes are one of those things that are worth eating if you get the chance. They are a bit time consuming to eat, but all you need is a little time, and some melted butter.
Don’t know how? Food Network was nice enough to have an entire section on how to prepare and eat artichokes in this month’s magazine. I attached the links in case you are interested.
-Anna
