Here’s the perfect foolproof recipe on how to cook artichokes! These artichokes are boiled so that you get a tender artichoke heart (doesn’t get dry like baked/roasted artichokes!) and this is also the fastest and easiest way of cooking artichokes perfectly each time. These artichokes are also deliciously seasoned with sea salt and thyme, and paired with a garlic balsamic dipping sauce.
Did you know that California produces almost all of the artichokes consumed in the US? I grew up in California and artichokes are one of my favorite appetizers. Whenever I see it on a menu, I always order it! These artichoke appetizers usually packed with flavor like garlic, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. How to eat it: you pull off one leaf at a time, dip it in a delicious mayo-based sauce, and scrape off the tender “meat” of it with your teeth. I could eat these nonstop.
There are different ways you can go about cooking artichokes:
Baking: You can bake a foil-wrapped artichoke in the oven, which gives it a lot of flavor, but it can get a little dry and dehydrated. Baking also takes the most amount of time compared to other cooking methods, and the length of time required for baking varies a lot depending on the size of the artichoke. It can be tough to balance the baking time required and avoiding dryness.
Grilling: If you have a grill, go for it! I’ve never tried this option before because it’s so much easier to cook artichokes in the kitchen without firing up the grill. But if you’re having a barbecue and the grill is handy, this is definitely something that you can try.
Steaming: This is a faster option compared to baking, but does require the proper steaming tools such as a steamer basket. Also, it’s not a foolproof method — you need to check occasionally to see if the pot needs more water, and steaming time can vary.
Boiling (my preference): This is the easiest and fastest method of cooking artichokes. Also, it’s foolproof (anyone can boil water) and works for all sizes of globe artichokes. Best yet, it results in a really tender and delicious artichoke heart without any of the dehydrated effects that you get from baked/roasted artichokes. This method doesn’t get as much flavor as you would from baking and grilling methods, but I find that it’s easy to season the artichoke post-cooking to get all of the flavors you want.
Ingredients
For the artichokes:
- food recipes
Did you know that California produces almost all of the artichokes consumed in the US? I grew up in California and artichokes are one of my favorite appetizers. Whenever I see it on a menu, I always order it! These artichoke appetizers usually packed with flavor like garlic, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. How to eat it: you pull off one leaf at a time, dip it in a delicious mayo-based sauce, and scrape off the tender “meat” of it with your teeth. I could eat these nonstop.
There are different ways you can go about cooking artichokes:
Baking: You can bake a foil-wrapped artichoke in the oven, which gives it a lot of flavor, but it can get a little dry and dehydrated. Baking also takes the most amount of time compared to other cooking methods, and the length of time required for baking varies a lot depending on the size of the artichoke. It can be tough to balance the baking time required and avoiding dryness.
Grilling: If you have a grill, go for it! I’ve never tried this option before because it’s so much easier to cook artichokes in the kitchen without firing up the grill. But if you’re having a barbecue and the grill is handy, this is definitely something that you can try.
Steaming: This is a faster option compared to baking, but does require the proper steaming tools such as a steamer basket. Also, it’s not a foolproof method — you need to check occasionally to see if the pot needs more water, and steaming time can vary.
Boiling (my preference): This is the easiest and fastest method of cooking artichokes. Also, it’s foolproof (anyone can boil water) and works for all sizes of globe artichokes. Best yet, it results in a really tender and delicious artichoke heart without any of the dehydrated effects that you get from baked/roasted artichokes. This method doesn’t get as much flavor as you would from baking and grilling methods, but I find that it’s easy to season the artichoke post-cooking to get all of the flavors you want.
Ingredients
For the artichokes:
- 2 globe artichokes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, to taste
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Prepping the artichokes: Use a serrated knife to chop off the top third of the artichoke (it’s inedible) and cut off most of the stem, leaving about an inch of stem.
- Cooking the artichokes: Add the artichokes to a pot of boiling water. Cover with a lid. Bring the water back to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when you can easily insert a knife into the stem with no resistance. Drain the artichokes stem-up in a colander until they're cool enough to handle.
