I love em, but understand some people outside of CA don’t like em, let alone know about them, save for the canned variety.

Up until I met my wife I had no clue people dip em in anything other than Mayo. Furthermore- I’ve heard people don’t even eat the heart, after eating the leaves.

What’s the consensus?

Growing up where I did we ate the mini's like broccoli today, olive oil, salt and pepper. Since leaving California in '95 I have yet to see the mini's. That said, we make do.

Looks great Ed, how’d you cook that?

In my short stint cooking at a restaurant, we’d steam em whole, cut in half longways, pour some butter/oil/seasoning and grill em for a bit. Looked pretty, but couldn’t get too much of the seasoning INTO the artichoke. I throw a bunch of garlic into the pressure cooker with with the ones I cooked last night, and not the slightest presence of garlic on the ‘choke.

Bread crumbs, Parmasan, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. I usually keep a bag of the mix in the freezer. Raw trim off the top quarter or so depending on the 'choke size. I mix a bit of olive oil to the above and start pulling back leaves filling behind them right to the top. Steam as normal pouring a bit of the water on the 'choke as needed pulling a leaf until done. We make a meal out of one a piece. And... no mayo.

Wife and I stopped in to our fav Steak House over in Eureka the other night. Shamus T-Bones. They have a grilled artichoke with a fantastic chipotle-lime mayo!

Crazy good!

Love em.

The ones we get in flyover country suck though. They always seem to be 6 months old, leaves opening, etc.

Love them any how any way.

Steamed, drenched in fresh lemon juice dipped in a light roasted garlic aioli like Nonna made them.

It's baby artichoke season right now.

Yum.

Grandad told me Mafia controlled artichoke trade in the early 20th century until the famous Dago NY Mayor shut em down. I understood it to mean Great-Grandad was involved somehow.

Have a choke plant in the garden. Need to get a couple more started for next season.

Everybody likes arty chokes...but sometimes I wonder just how hungry the poor bastard was that dug into the first one back when they was dodging dinosaurs.

That’s exactly how we like to make them here also. Steam them. Cut them in half and drench it in a mixture of melted butter, olive oil, beer and seasoning.
BBQ them on the oak pit and they are delicious. Dipping sauces can be chipotle Mayo, salsa mixed with Mayo, lemon juice also.
Just got a bag full of them the other week and they were awesome.

I think it’s speaks volumes most of those who’ve replied are from California.


I gotta up my artichoke game I suppose. Picked up 4 more giant ones today, I’ll try a more involved recipe.

Oooooh, now I'm gonna have to try that!

I'd swear the one in the pic was done with Montreal.

The hearts had been de-haired which is how I like em.

This^^^^is how my Sicilian Grandmother did it and is traditional…