Mummy's artichoke recipe: a Classy Vegan Starter

 Oh hey guys, 

I did say I would post an artichoke recipe that my mum loves to make in the summer and here it is. It is very close to my (artichoke) heart because it just reminds me of summery barbeques. I think someone taught this recipe to my mum while she lived in France. It is giving me summery 1970's dinner party vibes which as we all know I love. It is also vegan which means its nice for sharing although I ate both the artichokes on my own (so much for my dinner party vibes).

So artichokes come into season June to September. They are challenging to find. Waitrose will normally stock them when they are in season. Other than that, Greengrocers are your best bet. You can always ring a greengrocers to see if they are being stocked to save you the disappointment. The artichokes I brought, admittedly, were a bit over ripe. I knew that when I was buying them because the price had been slashed a lot but it wasn't the end of the world, it just meant the first few layers of petals were inedible. The rest was really nice though. 

Ingredients

One Fresh artichoke

Mustard

White wine vinegar

Olive Oil

Step 1 Artichoke Prepping

Wash your artichoke.

You should cut the stem off. Then, remove the smaller petals from the stem, just to tidy it up. If your artichoke is overripe (you can tell it is over ripe if you cut the stem in half and there is a black line going up the centre) you can remove the first layer of the petals.

On my artichoke the petals were sort of rounded but if your artichoke is spikey you can square off the spikes with some scissors.

Step 2 Making the marinade

This is where my instructions are a bit vague. But I would say equal parts oil and vinegar (1 table spoon for each). Then about a teaspoon of mustard but obviously do it to taste. Then mix it.

Alternatively, I do not see why a balsamic vinegar and olive oil marinade would not work instead. Or like if you have a really delicious olive oil. Just to give you options.

Step 3 Boiling the artichoke

Get a big pan of water and bring it to boil. Boil the artichokes for 20-25 minutes. Poke the stem with a fork to check whether it is tender and therefore ready to eat. 

I cut the artichoke in half, so it was easier to eat.

Eating the Artichoke

So remove the petals, one by one, starting from the bottom layers. Then you basically dip it in the marinade and scrape the flesh of the petal with your teeth. 

 

Then discard the petal in a bowl. As you get further to the centre of the artichoke the petals start to get smaller and like more tender. Remove these all and you'll get to the heart of the artichoke. It should be tender. Cut the fluffy bit off of the artichoke. What is left should hopefully be all edible. Quarter the heart and enjoy!!!