Don’t Meddle With This Petal

I grew up without ever tasting an artichoke. When I was 18, I first noticed this beautiful vegetable when I moved to Jerusalem. My neighbor’s 6-year-old was walking around snacking on cooked artichoke leaves. He already knew how to eat artichokes, while I did not.

I soon learned about artichokes from some neighbors from Morocco, who used them in several ways--marinated, stuffed and stewed with other vegetables. The word “artichoke” is derived from Arabic, and the vegetable is believed to have originated in North Africa. No wonder artichokes played an important part in my neighbors’ spring menus.

When I studied cooking in Paris a few years later, I watched chefs deftly trim artichokes down to their hearts and use them in haute cuisine creations. But home cooks in France usually serve these tasty vegetables whole, with a simple dipping sauce. Many Parisians have found the secret to serving artichokes in no time--they buy them already cooked at charcuteries.

Artichokes might look like they involve a lot of work, but they are not difficult to prepare. Serving them whole highlights their unique shape and is the easiest way to include them in menus. Before cooking them, you cut off the spike at the tip of each leaf.

Occasionally you’ll find artichokes sold with their spikes removed, or you can follow the advice of Jane Grigson in “Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book” (Michael Joseph): “Snipping the sharp points from the leaves with scissors or knife is an accepted thing to do. Why? There is no point in deforming such a beautiful object. I have never done this, and no one has pricked their finger and fallen asleep for 100 years at our table.”

An artichoke is actually a bud. Although we speak of artichoke leaves, they should really be called petals. The petals should be closed; if they have spread apart to a flower-like shape, the artichoke is past its prime. The artichoke should be heavy for its size with petals that are firm and not dry.

The best way to cook them quickly is to choose small or baby ones, rather than large ones. The smallest artichokes need little trimming. And they cook much more rapidly--about 15 minutes as opposed to 40 or 45 for the large ones. (In addition, small artichokes tend to cost less.) Many people like to microwave artichokes. This reduces the cooking time when you need just a few artichokes, but I find they taste better when cooked in water the old-fashioned way.

If you are cooking large artichokes, cook extra ones and have them ready for other meals. Wrap them in plastic wrap when they’re cool, and they’ll keep for four to five days in the refrigerator.

Do not ignore the artichoke’s stem. In a fresh artichoke, the stem’s interior can be very tender. It’s worth cooking the stems in the pan with the artichokes. After cooking, cut off the stem’s thick outer layers before eating the meat inside.

Drain the cooked artichokes well. If you take an artichoke directly from the pan to the plate, you’ll have a large pool of water to contend with. I remove them with tongs and set them upside down in a strainer for a few minutes before serving them.

Melted butter, hollandaise and mayonnaise are traditional dipping sauces for artichokes. In southern France, aioli, or garlic mayonnaise, is also popular. Today the favorite dip for hot or cold artichokes is a simple vinaigrette made of good-quality olive or walnut oil, fine wine vinegar or lemon juice and sometimes fresh herbs. I occasionally add chopped roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes or a bit of minced garlic.

To eat an artichoke, pull off each leaf, dip its base in a sauce if you like, then scrape the meat from the base with your teeth. After you have eaten all the leaves, you will find the fuzzy “choke.” Remove it with a spoon. Finally you get to the choice morsel--the artichoke heart, which you cut into pieces and eat with a fork.

Eating an artichoke is not something to be accomplished quickly. But enjoying artichokes with your family is a relaxing thing to do. And isn’t that why we’re trying to save time in the kitchen anyway?

ARTICHOKES WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO DIPPING SAUCE

Artichokes are a good source of Vitamin C, folic acid and fiber. Baby artichokes are the easiest type to eat, because they have little or none of the hair-like choke that is present in other artichokes just above the heart. Baby artichokes are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and weigh 2 to 3 ounces; small artichokes weigh 1/4 to 1/2 pound, and medium ones 1/2 to 3/4 pound. There is no need to trim baby artichokes. With other artichokes, cut the top quarter off each. Wash your hands after handling raw artichokes or the next foods you touch will get a funny taste.

12 baby artichokes or 8 small or 4 medium

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 teaspoons minced parsley

Cook artichokes in large covered pan of boiling salted water until a leaf can be easily pulled out (baby ones take about 15 minutes, small ones about 20 minutes and medium ones 25 to 35 minutes). Remove artichokes from water, turn upside down and drain well.

Make dipping sauce by whisking olive oil in small bowl along with lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover until ready to serve. Serve sauce at room temperature. Serve artichokes warm, cold or at room temperature, accompanied by dipping sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

251 calories; 312 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 3.04 grams fiber.

* Levy’s “International Vegetable Cookbook” won a James Beard Cookbook Award in 1994.