How to Cook an Artichoke

We love artichokes and when they are in season we have them often.

There's really nothing to cooking an artichoke, 

but some of you may not realize how easy it is.

Rinse the artichokes under cold water.

Trim off the stem.

 Put in a pot with about 1" of well salted cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat 

and low boil covered for about 45-60 minutes, depending on their size. 

They are done when you can easily pull off a leaf.  Drain. 

Serve with melted garlic lemon butter.

 In each cup put 2 T butter, 1/2 t garlic salt and 1 t lemon juice.

Melt in the microwave.

Serve with the artichoke.

 To eat, pull of a leaf and dip the end into the butter.

Pull the meaty part between your teeth, scraping off the good stuff.

 When you get to the center, take your knife and cut around the base of the leaves.

 Lift off the choke.

 This is the heart and bottom of the artichoke.

 It's well worth getting to.

 This is the choke. Discard this part.

 Cut up the bottom, season with a bit more garlic salt if you like

 and dip into the butter.

YUM! YUM!