Autumn Amelia

Hello everyone!

At the beginning of the year, I shared my lists I keep that help me accomplish things seasonally. 

Each list contains a seasonal item to eat. 

Last year I had artichokes on the list for summer and I wasn't able to get around to them...

So, they carried over to this year and I am proud to say we checked those bad boys off.

I looked through several different ways of preparing them and eventually landed on this recipe.

We ended up cutting the recipe in half as we didn't think we needed four full artichokes to ourselves.

We may have been wrong...

The below recipe is our halved and slightly modified version.

You will need:

2 Whole Artichokes

1 Lemon

Five Cloves of Garlic

4 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons of Dried Parsley

Sea Salt, To Taste

Prepare your artichokes.
Cut off the top inch of the artichoke.
Cut off the bottom stem and remove any surrounding leaves.

Cut the lemon in half and rub it over the freshly cut top and bottom of the artichoke to prevent from browning.

Trim off the pointy tips of the artichoke leaves.

Fill a large pot with water until it reaches just under your steamer basket.
Squeeze the juice from one half of the lemon into the water and toss in the remains.

Add the garlic to the water and bring to a simmer.
We always have minced garlic on hand, so I just added the equivalent of five cloves to our pot.

Once the water is simmering, add the artichokes to the steamer basket stem side up.

Cover the pot with a lid and let the artichokes steam for 30 minutes, or until they are tender and the leaves pull away easily.
Continue to add water to the pot if necessary.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.

Add the juice from the other half of the lemon and mix in the parsley. 

Add a pinch of sea salt to taste.

Once the artichokes are fully cooked, remove from the pot and place on your serving tray.

The butter mixture can be poured directly over the artichokes or served on the side for dipping. 

Peel off the leaves and enjoy!

A little advice on eating. 

The outer leaves cannot be eaten whole. 

Use your teeth to scrape the tender white "meat" from the leaf and discard what is left. 

The closer you get to the center, the softer the leaves will become.

The softer leaves can be eaten whole.
When you get to the center of the artichoke, remove the inedible fuzz to reveal the heart.
Trim off any remaining stem and enjoy!

This was the first time we have made or eaten fresh artichokes.

I love artichoke hearts so, I was sure I would enjoy a full artichoke. 

And I did!

I thought it was really tasty and fun to eat. 

The perfect finger food to enjoy this summer.

Plus, there are so many different recipes for artichokes, you are bound to find a flavor you will love. 

What is something you are dying to eat this summer?

All my love, 

Autumn