Artichoke Orgasm Recipe

DON’T LET THE DIRECTIONS GET TO YOU, THEY’RE JUST VERY DETAILED.

THE ARTICHOKES:

Get out a stainless steel pot big enough to hold your artichokes. If you don’t have one big enough you’ll have to do them in batches but artichokes are best served at room temp anyway.

Add enough water to cover the artichokes and the salt.

Bring the water to a nice steady boil, with the lid canted.

While the water is coming to the boil trim the artichokes per the picture. See Photo 5. Cut off the tough stem and the leaf tips and pull off a few of the really tough outer leaves. See Photo 6. Wash well in cold water and drain.

Put the artichokes in the boiling water and boil for 30 – 40 minutes, depending on size. Try not to over-cook them as they get mushy See Photo . Test an outer leaf for doneness after 30 minutes.

When done, remove from the water and allow to drain and cool.

THE DIPPING SAUCE:

Spoon enough “Real Mayonnaise” into a bowl for the artichokes you’ve cooked. You don’t want a big glob of mayo on the leaf, just a wee bit for taste.

Add a bit of melted butter and stir (optional but very nice) See Photo 3. Add a few drops of lemon juice and stir (optional but very nice)

Salt and pepper to taste and stir. Okay, you can do all the stirring in one go.

THE EATING:

Peel off a leaf and you’ll see a soft side and a hard side. See Photo 2. Dip the leaf in the sauce and scrape the soft part off by pulling it across your front teeth. See Photo 3. Do that until no more leaves.

With a spoon, scrape out the soft inner blossom part (see pic). See Photo 5. Cut the heart into bite size bits, dip and eat.

This can be an appetizer or part of the main course. Depending on how old they are when you buy them; un-cooked artichokes will keep one to two weeks in a cool, dark place. Cooked artichokes will last two to three days in the fridge. Never tried freezing them but they would have to be blanched first, for sure.