Artichokes are at their best: six ways to enjoy them

Although we can find them in fairs, supermarkets and even in some corners of the city for some time, the truth is that the artichoke has always been associated with the coldest and rainiest seasons of the year.

We usually consume this herbaceous plant that we love so much in a very special way: cooked in water, then left to cool and finally served on a plate. There, the guest will remove the leaves, gnawing and eating the meat that each leaf brings, until ending up with the best part of this vegetable: its heart. Everything is accompanied, according to the taste of the person eating, with a vinaigrette, a limette or simply a spreadable mayonnaise.

This is, in my opinion, a great way to eat artichokes, and I think it goes very well with any of these three dressings. But beware: being this vegetable widely consumed in the world, in other latitudes it is consumed in very different ways.

In general, it is prepared peeled and cleaned with a knife, as well as cooked and as part of the most diverse stews, rice dishes, tortillas or stir-fries. However, in Chile the most common is the one described above.

So much so that I was convinced for a long time that our way of consuming artichokes was unique. Until Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, to my surprise, told me that as a child he used to eat artichokes in his native Lima the same way we do. That is, sheet by sheet. Although in his case, always with a lemon.

Knowing that this is the most common way to consume artichokes in Chile, it is best to start by explaining how these vegetables are cooked.

The trick is very simple: put as many artichokes as you can in a pot (the stems are cut first if they are too long), add a pinch of coarse salt and cover them completely with water. Then cover the pan and cook over high heat until the first boil. After that, reduce the heat to half and cook for half an hour or until the leaves easily detach from the body of the artichoke.

At this time, you should remove them from the water and let them drain and cool to room temperature. Another option is to use the pressure cooker. In this case, we do the same thing as with the traditional pot, but after the first boil, we must lower the heat to a minimum and only cook for about fifteen minutes. Here you have to watch the clock: if a few minutes pass, the artichokes can be completely spoiled.

Lemonade, vinaigrette or mayonnaise. These are the most common options, all very easy to prepare.

For the limoneta, just the juice of three lemons, a tablespoon of olive oil and salt to taste. Stir well and you’re done. For the dressing, replace the lemon juice with a generous amount of vinegar of your choice, and in addition to the salt, add a little black pepper. Stir again and that’s it.

For the mayonnaise, which should ideally be homemade, here is the recipe.

Mayonnaise

—250 cc miracle oil

-1 egg

-Salt

Break the egg and incorporate all its contents into the glass of a blender. Then add a pinch of salt and oil. Finally, mix until the mixture emulsifies.

They are consumed in the same way as in the traditional method. That is, sheet by sheet and with one of the sauces that we have just shown as an accompaniment. However, this modality has two differences: the first is that they are consumed hot and not cold. And the second, as the subtitle says, is that they are baked. As? SO.

Baked artichoke

—4 artichokes

-coarse salt

-Olive oil

Turn on the oven at medium temperature (180-200º). Cut the stem and tip of the artichokes. Then place them in a greased baking dish and season each with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for one hour or until tender. When the time passes or they seem ready, take them out of the oven, let them rest for ten minutes and then serve.

Another option with artichokes, less common in Chile, is to sauté them and mix them with other ingredients, as can be seen in the following recipe. As always, for four people.

Artichokes with serrano ham and garlic

—12 small artichokes

—300 grams of Serrano ham

—4 garlic cloves

—1 cup dry white wine

—Salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley

Remove all of the artichokes from their tougher outer leaves, along with the stem and top of each. Then, cut them in half and remove their core using a spoon, the hairs of which must be removed. Then, following the method described above, cook them in salted water until tender. Remove them from the water and put them in a colander to drain.

Meanwhile, cut the ham into squares of about two centimeters and set aside. Crush the four cloves of garlic then chop them as finely as possible. Immediately heat a non-stick pan and sauté the chopped ham with the garlic. Stir for a few minutes so that the ham releases its fat and the garlic absorbs this flavor. Right there, and before the garlic burns, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Keep stirring then add the artichokes. After a few minutes, add the white wine, mix well and bring to the boil only once. Finally, remove from the heat, add a little chopped parsley and rectify with salt if necessary. Serve immediately.

This is another great option when eating artichokes. Of course, it takes a bit more work, which is still worth it. Here the recipe.

Artichoke omelet

—5 cooked artichokes

-4 eggs

—Salt, nutmeg and olive oil

—1 lemon

Remove the leaves from each of the artichokes and, using a spoon, scoop out all their flesh, including the hearts, and set them aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add a pinch of salt and just a touch of freshly grated nutmeg. Mix the eggs with the flesh of the artichokes and heat a non-stick pan with a little olive oil.

Cook the tortilla for four to five minutes on each side, flipping it with a plate. The idea is that something creamy remains inside. Once ready, leave to rest for a few minutes then portion out. If you wish, you can add a few drops of lemon on top when serving.

The ideal for those colder days is to enjoy a steaming artichoke soup, which is obviously prepared with this vegetable plus some additional ingredients that allow it to be creamy.

Artichoke soup

—½ kilo of potatoes

—3 artichokes

—1 leek

—1 liter of chicken broth

—Milk, salt and olive oil

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Do the same with the leek. Clean the artichokes, keeping only the tender leaves and the heart. Next, heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan and brown all the vegetables in it with a pinch of salt. When they are tender, add the liter of broth and cook for half an hour, covered, over medium heat. Finally, add a little milk and blend in a blender until you get a creamy consistency. Adjust the salt if necessary and serve.

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of June 6, 2023. Values ​​and availability may change.