"It might choke Artie but it ain't gonna choke Stymie!" (The Little Rascals, June 1932)

Artichokes!

I remember watching this episode of The Little Rascals and feeling sorry for Stymie because he didn't know how to eat an artichoke.

Here's a clip: Stymie and Artie

Call me weird but when I was little and my Mom asked me what special food I wanted on my birthday, I always said, "Artichokes!" Most kids back then didn't even know what one was, let alone mastered eating one. But we all loved them. My poor mother had to find an artichoke in September, well after the end of the season.  Sometimes she did.

Spring is artichoke season. In Italy, the city street markets are filled with many different types than we see in the U.S. The fields are bursting with them.  And restaurants are serving them up.

Here is the basic way my mother made the big, round ones that are common in America:

First, cut off the stem and make sure the bottom is flat so it will sit in the pot.  Then cut off the top to get rid of the pinchy leaves.  Next, with kitchen shears, trim the pinchy top off all of the remaining leaves.  Rinse the arties and pull the leaves open slightly.  You can stuff them with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or leave them naked.

In a large pot, put enough olive oil to cover the bottom. For four arties, add about 5 cloves of chopped garlic.  Place the arties in the pot. Drizzle olive oil over them.  Put enough water in the pot to go halfway up the artichokes.  Add about a teaspoon of salt to the water. Cover, bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let them simmer for about an hour.  You'll know they're done when you can pull a leaf off easily.

My mother also stuffed them with meat -- use the same recipe as you would for meatballs. Stuff it in between the leaves, add about a tablespoon of tomato sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of each one and then cook as directed above.

Here's a little something I learned about traveling through Europe -- fried artichokes.  We first tasted them in the Jewish area in Rome in 2004 and my youngest said it was just like eating potato chips. Dennis and I tried a few times to do this with the big round artichokes like the one above, but found you have to cut off a lot of leaves and waste a lot of the artichoke to make it edible, even after frying.

Then we took a trip to Barcelona, Spain, and had fried artichokes at a tapas restaurant.  They used the smaller artichokes with softer leaves and sliced them very thin. I tried this and it worked. 

Don't wash the arties before frying unless you plan to leave them to dry upside down overnight. Cut off the tops, then cut the hard outer leaves away on a diagonal, leaving the bottom of the outer leaves and the inner leaves that are soft enough to eat.  Next, slice them very thin from top to bottom. Dredge the slices in flour and shake off excess.  Fry them in a pot of oil until they turn golden and crunchy. Drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy.

Stymie and Artie