How to Trim an Artichoke

Artichokes are delicious steamed whole when you can remove each leaf one by one and scrape the artichoke flesh off with your teeth.  But when you want tender, yet chewy pan fried slices of artichoke heart, the artichoke must be trimmed like so:

Cut 1/4th of an inch off the bottom of the artichoke stem and peel off the outer skin of the remaining part of the stem with a paring knife. 

Pull back each leaf until you hear it snap and then peel downward.  Continue removing leaves this way until you reach the softer inner light green leaves.  Slice the artichoke in half. 

With a paring knife, remove the “choke”  which is the pinchy purple leaves and the hairy part. You can avoid the artichoke turning brown by dunking it in lemon water.

Slice the artichoke thinly and evenly, about ¼ inch slices or thinner depending on recipe.

Now click on these recipes to try!

Fried Artichoke and Lemon
Sicilian Spring Vegetable Pasta