Artichoke

Globe artichokes (not to be confused with tuberous Jerusalem artichokes) are part of a thistle plant. Native to north Africa, they spread around the Mediterranean as as gourmet food for the privileged few. They arrived in the UK in the 16th century and are known to have been grown at Henry VIII's garden at Newhall in 1530. The plants will grow up to 1.5m high, each plant producing up to 15 flowers. It is these flower buds that give us the artichoke. Harvested when they are still small and tight, ideally the size of a tennis ball, the outside is surrounded by green or green-purple scales (or leaves). The base of the bud is called the heart, and at the centre, the part that would make a pretty blue flower if left to develop, is called the choke. It is fluffy and inedible is removed before or after cooking. The scales are not removed unless very tough such as the outer ones, but are sometimes trimmed to remove the tips if they are sharp. The top 2cm are also sometimes removed. Artichokes are often sold with their stalks still attached. Look for small to medium sized artichokes, that are heavy for their size and look bright green and plump. The outer scales may be separating but in the inner scales should be tight. Baby artichokes are small buds from lower on the stem that have no choke inside and are eggs sized. They can be cooked and eaten whole, after removing any spiky bits, or even eaten raw. Artichokes are a good source of vitamin C, K and B6, as well as magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and folate.

A couple of words of warning... handling artichokes can discolour your hands so remember to wash them; and secondly, artichokes and wine don't mix!