(Photo courtesy of Franck Chicotmember of the Flickr Fruit and Veg Group)
Artichokes are one of those vegetables I always feel like I should be serving more frequently. Everybody in the family likes them; they're easy to cook (albeit a bit long, but now I have this to help me,) and they're a lot of fun to eat.
Also, my husband does an excellent job of meticulously cutting out the chokes so we can all eat the "bottoms" (les fonds d'artichaut) under the best conditions -- so I figure this is one food item that could help increase his rather slim participation in our everyday cooking.
But, alas, artichokes don't appear on our table that often. And my French-inspired cooking repertoire doesn't include many exciting ways to cook or serve them.
I do have the following observations to make about artichokes/artichauts in France and in our home:
BEFORE
Also, my husband does an excellent job of meticulously cutting out the chokes so we can all eat the "bottoms" (les fonds d'artichaut) under the best conditions -- so I figure this is one food item that could help increase his rather slim participation in our everyday cooking.
But, alas, artichokes don't appear on our table that often. And my French-inspired cooking repertoire doesn't include many exciting ways to cook or serve them.
I do have the following observations to make about artichokes/artichauts in France and in our home:
- An alarming number of French people, including fruit and vegetable vendors, do not know how to spell artichaut. I find it most annoying to see artichauds for sale. Artichaud even seems to enjoy some popular acceptance, as a Google search for the term turned up an alarming 113,000 references -- enough to send me flying to my Larousse. Ouf! Artichaud isn't listed, but the frequency of this error makes me wonder if it could be a spelling in regional languages.
- I have rarely been served artichokes at dinner parties, but when I have, they have played the role of a quick, "I didn't really have a lot of time to cook today," starter and are usually served with melted butter or homemade (somehow French cooks always have time to make that) mayonnaise.
- My husband concocts a yummy sauce for artichoke dipping by mixing together homemade vinaigrette with some store-bought (because I don't have time to...) mayonnaise. Try it sometime.
- We're lucky here in France to have access to some excellent Italian foodstuffs like Sacla products, and their artichoke hearts sold in jars are quite divine. In fact some of them went into what I just made for lunch:
BEFORE
AFTER
Call it seven-ingredient, Franco-Italian-Blogger improvised inspiration!
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