Table of Contents Show
Artichoke is a specific delicacy that is gaining popularity every year. For the first time, local chefs began to use the vegetable in its historical homeland — tropical America.
Then there were almost no methods of preparation – only raw consumption. In modern times, you can cook artichokes in various ways: fry in a pan skillet, bake in the oven or use a microwave.
However, steaming remains the most common among professional chefs. But can you cook high quality artichokes using other methods of preparation?
Artichoke: pros and cons
Artichoke is a vegetable plant, the genus of which has more than 100 different varieties. However, cooks use only 40 varieties for food. This is a dietary product with a low calorie composition.
The inflorescences of vegetable culture contain: ascorbic acid, tannins, carotene, fatty acids, essential oils, vitamins A and C. Due to its composition, artichoke has a number of positive properties on the human body:
- improves the digestive system
- removes toxins from the intestines
- relieves symptoms of allergic reactions
- has a beneficial effect on hair growth, the appearance of skin and nails
- improves cerebral circulation
In order not to harm your body, first familiarize yourself with the medicinal possibilities of herbaceous culture and its contraindications. A vegetable can have a negative effect on the human body.
Carefully dose the use of the product if you have problems with low acidity, hypotension, gastrointestinal diseases and kidney failure.
Is artichoke good for losing weight?
Due to the low caloric content, artichokes are great for weight loss. The reasons lie in the following effects of artichoke for the human body:
- removes excess fluid from the body along with toxins and slags
- accelerates metabolic processes
- improves the work of the entire digestive system
- provides full absorption of nutrients from incoming products
- increases efficiency
Taste and smell of artichokes
In its raw form, artichoke tastes like young walnuts. For some people, it resembles a zucchini, while others catch mushroom notes in the product. It does not have a pronounced smell in its raw form.
However, in combination with different products, artichoke acquires a sweet taste. Such changes occur due to cinarin, affecting specially on the taste buds. Not everyone can appreciate such an unusual taste, but gourmets remain delighted.
How to peel artichokes?
To facilitate the preparation process, learn how to clean artichokes properly. The technology will be as follows:
- Cut off with a sharp knife the part of the petals where the hard bottom ends.
- Clean the stem, cut its outer part to the light center.
- Remove the toughest upper petals covering the bottom of the artichoke.
- Remove the villi from the center (core).
After the cleaning process, you can rub the artichoke with lemon to remove excess moisture and protect the vegetable from darkening.
Is it better to steam or boil artichokes?
The method of preparing artichokes affects not only the taste, but also the preservation of the vegetable’s beneficial properties. The fastest and easiest way is to boil the product.
Bring the water to a boil, add a little salt and cook the vegetable for 20-30 minutes. However, most of the useful properties will go into the water. To avoid this, choose steaming artichokes as a way of preparation. This method is not only faster, but also more beneficial for your health.
Can I steam an artichoke without a steaming basket?
The steamer is an excellent helper for fast and high-quality preparation of artichokes. However, there is not always a steaming basket in your kitchen. What should you do in this case?
Use a regular saucepan. Pour water there to a height of about 5 cm. Add lemon, garlic and bay leaf. Bring the water to a boil. Using scissors, cut off the tips of the artichoke.
Take an aluminum foil and place it over the water. Cover and steam artichokes for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size and variety of your vegetable.
How long does it take to cook an artichoke on the stove?
On the stove you can not only boil artichokes, but also fry them. To do this, you first need to soak the artichokes in cold water with lemon. This process will help to get rid of excessive rigidity of the product.
Next, peel the artichokes from the leaves and stem. Do not rinse the vegetable under cold water, so as not to saturate it with excess moisture. After that, preheat the pan skillet and fry the artichokes in oil for 10-15 minutes, constantly turning over.
The cooking time also depends on the size of the selected vegetable.
How long to boil artichokes
You can boil artichokes in a saucepan or pressure cooker. The cooking techniques are simple: bring to a boil a few inches of water and lower the vegetable there.
Before that you have to clean artichokes and rinse them under cold water. The time of boiling artichokes depends not only on the cooking method, everything is very clear here.
Cook the vegetable in a saucepan for 30-40 minutes, in a pressure cooker only 25 minutes will be enough. However, we can consider the size of the vegetable as another important factor. A large artichoke requires a longer preparation time. To check that the artichokes are done, pierce it with a fork.
If the texture is soft, then the vegetable is ready for consumption.
Fastest way to cook an artichoke
There are many options for preparing artichokes, but sometimes there is a need to do it as quickly as possible. In this case, you should just fry the artichoke on the grill.
Cut the vegetable in half lengthwise, remove the purple leaves inside. Preheat the grill. Pour the artichokes with oil, add spices. Fry the artichoke halves for 4 minutes on each side.
You can also grill lemon slices and add them to the artichoke. Additionally, professional chefs advise making Aioli sauce. It helps to reveal the taste of grilled artichoke.
Artichoke hearts recipe
If you want to cook something unusual from artichokes – pay attention to the heart’s recipe. This is a simple and delicious dish that you can serve as an appetizer or main course. To make the recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- artichokes – 8 pieces
- flour – 300 grams
- egg – 1 piece
- cold water – ½ liter
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Peel the artichokes: cut off the tips and remove the leaves. Leave the core.
- Boil water, add lemon and garlic cloves there. Place the artichokes and cook for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the dough: mix flour, salt and beaten egg.
- Put a frying pan on medium heat. Put the artichokes in the dough there.
- Fry in olive oil for 5-10 minutes.
If desired, you can make mayonnaise sauce and serve it to the dish.
How to cook an artichoke in the microwave
You can also cook artichokes in the microwave. This is a convenient and fast way that everyone will like. To make a recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- artichokes – 10 pieces
- salt – 1/2 teaspoon
- olive oil – 6 tablespoons
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Peel the artichokes, trim the upper rough petals and stem.
- Help the vegetable to open the petals – press it down a little with a rolling pin.
- Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.
- Pour olive oil over the artichokes and leave to soak.
- Put the product in the microwave for 10 minutes.
How to boil artichokes
If you still decide to boil artichokes, then learn how to do it correctly. Before starting the cooking process, rinse the vegetable under cold water. Peel the artichokes from the thorns and tops, remove the stem, soak in water with lemon juice (1 liter of water juice from 1 lemon) for 60 minutes.
Boil the water, add salt and artichokes, and cook for 30 minutes. To get a more tender product, gradually reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook the artichokes for 20-30 minutes additionally.
How to cook artichoke without steamer
If you don’t have a steamer, just make a steamer yourself. To do this, take a pan of any diameter, tighten the top with gauze and secure it. Instead of gauze, you can use a regular colander.
Next, all you have to do is pour water into a saucepan and place the peeled artichokes on cheesecloth. The steam coming from the boiling water will fall directly on the vegetable. The cooking time will vary from 30-35 minutes depending on the size of the artichokes.
To improve the taste of the unleavened product, add salt and spices to taste.
Steamed artichokes with garlic and butter recipe
This recipe will help you get tender and juicy artichokes. To repeat it, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- artichokes – 1 kg
- salt – to taste
- ground black pepper – to taste
- lemon – 1 piece
- melted butter – ½ cup
- garlic – 1 clove
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Cut off the artichoke stems, leaving about 1½ cm. Remove the brown leaves, then the top quarter of the artichoke. You can use kitchen scissors.
- Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Place a steaming basket in a saucepan and place artichokes in it; season with salt and pepper.
- Close the lid and cook for a couple of 70-80 minutes until the cores soften and the leaves can be easily pulled out. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Mix butter with garlic in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper. Serve with artichokes.
How to choose properly?
If you decide to buy artichokes, choose dense buds. They should not be sluggish or too dry. A high-quality product has an even color, because brown spots on a green surface are unacceptable.
Lightly press the product while selecting concrete. Fresh artichoke creaks a little. In this situation, size is not so important. But you do not need to choose too small buds, because after cleaning they decrease.
Also be careful with the choice of the seller. It is best to buy fresh artichokes in vegetable stores or from trusted farmers.
Storage rules
A dry and cool place is suitable for storing artichokes. Thanks to such conditions, it will not deteriorate for 7 days. Keep raw artichokes only in the refrigerator.
If you have not used the prepared product, freeze it in the freezer. Otherwise, the artichokes will become bitter the very next day. Also, professional chefs have highlighted a number of tips that will help you deal with the issue of storing artichokes:
- You can extend the shelf life of an artichoke if it is plucked or bought with a stem. To do this, place it in a jar of water.
- Do not store artichokes in an open form near cooked dishes or products with rich flavors (inflorescences in this case will deteriorate faster).
- If you pour artichokes with salt water and put the workpiece in a cool place, then they can be stored for several weeks (about 20 g of salt per liter of water).
Main tips
Also, professional chefs have developed a number of tips that will help you quickly and easily cook artichokes. Among them:
- Do not rinse the vegetable before frying or grilling.
- Soak artichokes in water with lemon and vinegar to soften.
- Adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the vegetable.
- Improve the nutty taste of artichokes with Italian seasonings, salt and pepper.
Final thoughts
Artichoke is a vegetable unique in its taste and chemical properties. You can cook it in different ways and use it in various dishes. Artichoke will be a great side dish or main meal on your table.
The product is perfectly combined with white and red wine, meat, fruits, vegetables and herbs. The nutty taste of artichoke makes it a trap for gourmets around the world.
However, you don’t need to be a qualified cook to make this vegetable delicious at home. Just peel it properly, soak in water with lemon juice and choose the right spices. The main thing is not to block the taste of artichoke. Don’t be afraid to surprise yourself and your loved ones!