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French Artichokes
The artichoke consists of three parts: the bottom, the leaves and the choke. The choke is not eaten and may be removed or not, as preferred. If it is to be removed, cut out the stem and save it; then with the point of a sharp knife cut around the base of the choke and draw out the latter. Cut across the top of the artichoke to trim it. Then wash it and soak it for half an hour in salted water, using one tablespoon of salt to two quarts of water. After removing the choke and soaking as directed, press the stem back into the head, lay the whole head downward in a kettle and cover with boiling water, adding one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of lemon-juice for every two quarts of water. Boil gently until tender. Then take the artichoke from the water and drain. Serve hot with Bechamel sauce or Hollandaise sauce, or cold with a French dressing or well-seasoned mayonnaise dressing, or with Russian dressing.
A straightforward method for whole boiled globe artichokes, written when the vegetable was still unfamiliar enough to need its anatomy explained. Two details are worth adjusting.
- What the parts areThe "bottom" is the fleshy base beneath the choke; the "choke" is the mass of immature florets above it, often purplish. Removing it raw, as the recipe allows, is fiddly on a firm artichoke — an easier alternative is to cook first and lift the choke out with a spoon.
- Cutting and browningCut surfaces oxidise brown within minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon to the soaking water as well as the cooking water, or rub the trimmed top with a cut lemon.
- Boil gently means simmerA rolling boil batters the outer leaves loose. Keep the water at a bare simmer, and weight the artichoke with a plate or lid so it stays submerged.
- TimingThe recipe gives none. Whole artichokes generally take somewhere between 25 and 45 minutes depending on size. It is done when an outer leaf pulls away with no resistance and a knife slides into the base easily.
- Pot materialCast iron and unlined aluminium react with artichokes and turn them grey. Use stainless steel or enamel.
- The stemThe recipe has you cut the stem out, keep it, and press it back into the head. The stem is good eating on its own — simmer it alongside rather than wedging it in.
- Salt quantitiesOne tablespoon of salt to two quarts of soaking water, and one teaspoon plus two teaspoons lemon juice per two quarts of cooking water. Both are light by modern seasoning habits; season the cooking water more generously if serving cold.
- Yield and servingOne artichoke per person as a first course. Set out a bowl for discarded leaves and serve the sauce warm in individual dishes for dipping.