July Feature: Purple Artichokes

What
No one really knows where the artichoke comes from, but ancient stories suggest it hails from North Africa where the plant grows wild. Artichokes were cultivated in Sicily in the Greek period and were called kaktos. In this period the leaves and flowerheads, which cultivation had already improved from the wild form, were eaten. The Romans, who called the vegetable carduus received the plant from the Greeks and began eating them with abandon. In 18th century France, artichokes were associated with aristocracy as a culinary privilege.

Purple artichokes, sometimes labeled Italian artichokes, have deep purple leaves with green highlights. They are best eaten when they are young and tender. However size does not indicate age. Artichokes of various sizes come from a single plant. The large ones grow toward the top while the smaller ones toward the bottom.

Why Try
The delicate flavor of the purple artichoke has been reputed to throw lovers into a frenzy, cause enemies to forgive each other, and old friends to reunite. Personally I just love the taste. When cutting into an artichoke the cell walls are broken. This releases polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that converts phenols in the vegetable to brown compounds that will discolor it. So if you’re not using them immediately, drop them into cold water with a freshly squeezed lemon. When preparing your artichoke, always snap – don’t cut – off the stem close to the base. This helps pull out any stringy fiber running into the artichoke.

How to Use
You can usually find purple artichokes at your farmer’s market.

• Eat them raw. Snap off the stems at the base and slice thinly with a mandoline. Toss into your salad or serve over pasta.
• Steam them. Once tender, pull off the leaves one by one to eat the fleshy part toward the bottom. Dip them in a sauce made from mayonnaise, lemon juice, and fresh dill.
• Bake them. Carefully push back the leaves in the center and spoon out the thistle-like filaments covering the heart. Spoon in some toasted breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, freshly chopped herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice, and of course some butter. When tender, pull off the outer leaves and dip them into the center.
• Grill them. Bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base until exposed leaves are pale green at top and pale yellow at base. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and grill.
• Turn them into a risotto. Trim baby artichokes, cut them in half and add them to a finished risotto with a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.