10 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:Born in artichoke country and find it boggling to follow your method. Not saying it's wrong or undoable, just that I've always found it simple enough to just pull off leaf by leaf until coming to the choke, spooning it out and proceeding to the heart. Your spouse is well tended.
ETA, that said, your blackened chokes look amazing.
I do and have used that method of course - but it would just mean that by the time Significant Eater worked her way down to the choke (I actually enjoy the pointy, purple-tip leaf bottoms), I'd be called into action at the dinner table, and eating an artichoke is already creating enough of a mess that to then deal with 2 artichokes at table - annoying. And almost boggling.
You were born in Castroville or Watsonville?
8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:
Though I have never found when cooking artichokes why Richard Olney firmly directs "Do Not Steam". If I can locate a good one while artichokes are still in season I would like to try the steam bake method.
My dipping sauce of preference for artichokes is an olive oil vinaigrette. As much as I love Hollandaise on almost anything, Hollandaise or drawn butter is overkill with artichokes. Your mileage of course may vary.
But Olney does not not say that in Simple French Food...in fact, he boils. So he must have changed his mind at some point. I would think the thought is that steaming or boiling doesn't concentrate the flavor of the artichoke as well as roasting does; but tell that to the people who love Carciofi alla Romana, braised and well cooked!
When he changed his mind, he probably didn't have access to steam roasting at his residence like we do!
I'm not a fan of butter with artichokes either; I do like a simple vinaigrette, or an aioli. For these I mixed some mayo with yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings.
