Steamed Artichoke With Lemon & Garlic

 I really LOVE artichokes, but was always a little uncertain how to make them! My friend made me some at her house and now I realize how simple they are to make and how fresh steamed artichokes taste oh so good! Here is my simple version of how I prepare mine. Normally artichokes are served with butter or mayonnaise. Since we do not keep either of those in our house, I just put some lemon and garlic in my steaming liquid and served them as is with no sauce! 

Steamed Artichoke With Lemon & Garlic

1 artichoke

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lemon, cut in half

Wash the artichoke under cold water to remove any dirt between the leaves. Cut off the thorny ends of all the leaves with kitchen shears. Slice about 1" off the tip of the artichoke. Cut off the excess stem, leaving about 1" left. You can steam the artichoke whole, or cut the artichoke in half. Add to a pan with a steaming basket and about 1-2" of water.  Add garlic and lemon to the cooking liquid. (I squeeze the juice of the lemon into the water and place the pieces of the lemon in as well.) Bring water to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Steam with lid on for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. You will know it is tender when the outer leaves can easily be pulled off and a fork can easily pierce the stem.You will also start to smell it when it is ready!

I like to eat the artichoke warm, but they are also good cold! To eat, pull off the outer petals one at a time. Tightly grip the green end of the petal with your fingers and place the white fleshy end in your mouth. Pull petal through teeth to remove the soft, pulpy, delicious part! YUM! Discard remaining petal.When you get to the middle of the artichoke, the petals become more tender and you can eat more of the petal! BUT, make sure when you get to the choke (the inedible fuzzy part in the middle) that you scrape it out with a spoon and discard it.  THEN you are left with the artichoke heart....which is of course the BEST part! Enjoy!