The artichoke is a classic thistle—a tall, spindly plant with a rough, dinosaur-skin exterior that first developed thousands of years ago in the Levant. Over the centuries, the artichoke spread throughout the Mediterranean, prized for its meaty leaves and tender heart. Our ancestors cultivated scores of artichoke varieties many of which—from the wine-colored siena to the maroon-kissed chianti—are still grown today in Italy and Spain. American farmers, however, almost exclusively grow the bulbous Italian variety called Green Globe.
Don’t be intimidated by the artichoke’s spiky exterior. These versatile vegetables are great dipped in butter or piled on chips as a dip, and there’s so much more you can do with them. Fried, added to soup, folded into pasta or risotto, artichokes are definitely worth the prep work. Our step-by-step guide on trimming and preparing an artichoke can help you get beneath those tough outer leaves into the meaty, tender flesh of the vegetable. If you need a crash course in artichokes, check out our spring produce guide. It’ll give you all the artichoke advice you need, from purchasing and storage to sourcing the best of the bunch and keeping them fresh at home. Here are our 17 favorite ways to eat artichokes.
“I come from Milano, which is actually the patria, or land, of risotto,” Goggi says. At Masseria Moroseta in Puglia, she cooks with artichokes from her garden, and is sure to include plenty of their edible stems. She braises the artichokes, then purées them into a cream for cooking the rice, and reserves a few pieces of the hearts for serving. “I love the pairing of capocollo and Pecorino with this dish because they are traditional of this place.” Get the recipe for Artichoke Risotto with Capocollo and Pecorino »
Marinated Artichokes with Prawns and Fino Sherry (Alcachofas Salteadas con Langostinos y Fino)
Any gently simmered mixture of vegetables is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It’s important to cut the ingredients to the proper size and cook them sequentially, starting with the ones that need longer cooking. Get the recipe for Spring Vegetable Stew »
We found this recipe—a flavorful local favorite, in which tender artichoke bottoms are fried and served with an intense, tahini-based sauce—at al-Az, a casual but well-known restaurant in Damascus. Get the recipe for Fried Artichoke Hearts with Taratur Sauce »
