Artichoke is a popular Italian plant that is served as an independent dish. Mature artichokes can reach the size of an orange and look as if wrapped in “dog teeth”. There are many recipes for their preparation. Having bought artichokes, not every housewife knows what to do with them. But to learn how to cook them is very simple, the main thing is practice and useful tips. Cooking should be an interesting and developing process, so you should not be afraid to experiment.
Artichokes contain a large amount of vitamins, and also have a beneficial effect on the liver, the work of the stomach and gall bladder. One way to submit them is as a whole. It can be an ordinary deep plate or special dishes. The main dish is accompanied by a sauce that can be prepared according to a standard recipe, or any other to the taste of the cook (the most popular are French, Dutch or herb-based sauce).
Cooking artichokes. What to do with them if there is no desire to serve them whole? Here is the solution - to cook vegetable stew with them or stuff them. For a vegetable stew, the cook will need green beans, onions, garlic, artichokes (about 6 pieces), chicken broth and olive oil. In principle, the composition of the ingredients can be changed to taste. If you still decide to stuff vegetables, then you should stock up with eggs, garlic, smoked sausage and cheese.
Quite popular is a salad with artichokes. Essential ingredients: onion, garlic, arugula, cheese, cream. Of the spices we need salt, pepper, thyme, as well as olive oil. The main thing in making salad is to properly clean artichokes. What to do with them, we will now tell. First, boil them, after that, pluck leaf after leaf from the crown of outer leaves until you reach the middle (“hay” is the most delicious part). All torn leaves can be dipped in sauce and eat a bright yellow piece, the rest - discarded. We cut the hay by first separating the root from it and cutting out the prickly center. It is recommended to put it for some time in cold water with the addition of lemon juice. This is very important, as the vegetable instantly oxidizes and acquires a bitter taste. We mix the ingredients, if you wish, they can be slightly fried. Our salad is almost ready, it remains to season it with spices and olive oil.
In Italy, when the time comes for picking vegetables, they organize the Artichoke Festival. The cuisine of the representatives of the sunny country cannot do without these vegetables. They are the same symbol of the Apennine peninsula as pasta and pizza. This product is present in many famous culinary masterpieces, and every year dishes from them are becoming increasingly popular all over the world.
If you have solid artichokes, what to do with them? It’s better not to risk using them. By themselves, these vegetables are very finicky, improper preparation can lead to unpleasant consequences. The hardness of the product indicates that it is not yet ripe or completely green. Therefore, choosing artichokes, try them by touch and evaluate the external state of the vegetable or, if possible, consult with those who know how to do it.