Scraping the leaf of a freshly steamed artichoke with your teeth is a pleasure that’s hard to put into words. There’s something so satisfying about peeling away a perfectly tender leaf, dipping it into something delicious, and working away at a beautiful artichoke right in front of you. It forces you to slow down and enjoy the food and company at the table. It’s a super satisfying way to start a meal and can make any dinner party feel a little bit more special.
While we never really had steamed artichokes in my house growing up, my neighbors who lived behind us always did. It was such a treat to join them for dinner and learn an entirely new food and process of eating.
I didn’t really get to enjoy them again until adulthood when I was at a friend’s house for a couple’s dinner. We sat around drinking red wine, deconstructing artichokes, and laughing the night away. Eating a steamed artichoke feels nostalgic, I guess.
I think steamed artichokes get sidelined because of the perception of how timely they are to make and well, consume. But the truth is, once you know what you’re doing, preparing an artichoke is really quite simple.
A few dipping ideas:
Cutting Board
Kitchen Shears
Sharp Knife
Steamer Basket
Lidded Soup Pot
Serving Dishes
If you would prefer to wear gloves to avoid any pricking, feel free to do so.
There are two ways to trim the stems. Either by removing them entirely or trimming down and peeling away the fibrous skin. The latter is better for preparing artichoke hearts for dips and other culinary uses. The former is better for serving just as steamed, for they’ll sit upright comfortably in the plate or bowl.
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