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Artichoke DipArtichokes: these members of the thistle family are chock full of nutrition, and great taste. And it's the one vegetable that incites fear into even experienced cooks. Well, I'm here to tell you that artichokes are really easy to prepare, and eat! Here's one of my recent conversations with Brian Patrick from Sacred Heart Radio about one of my favorite foods of the Bible: artichokes! Conversations with Brian: Artichokes: Gen 3:18 “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.” The artichoke is a member of the thistle family, so this vegetable fits right in with the Bible diet. How did people eat them during Bible times? Brian, both the tender leaf and young, undeveloped stalk were eaten, as well as the “head” which is what we only eat today. An earlier type of artichoke like plant is the cardoon, and that was eaten like raw celery. Do artichokes have a lot of nutrition? Yes! They contain plant proteins, fiber, potassium, iron and calcium. Plus they contain more antioxidants than red wine and chocolate! Artichokes can be intimidating to cook, don’t you think? Well, I have to admit that a lot of years went by before I would attempt to cook them, and yet they are so easy to prepare! But I will tell you that it’s hard to know how to eat them just by looking at them. If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the leaves. Now this is for looks only – the leaves soften when cooking. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem. Cut excess stem off. Some people like to leave the stem on to eat, but I think it’s bitter. I like to cook them in water that has been flavored with some lemon and garlic and bay. Just make sure the artichoke stays under the water and you can do that by placing a saucer on top. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and cook until done – 30-45 minutes. Well that wasn’t so hard. Now how do you eat them? Brian, that’s the real challenge, though it’s not real hard. Just pull of the petals and dip the white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Hold the other end and just pull it through your teeth to remove the tasty inside part of the petal. Discard remaining petal. You can eat them hot or cold. What about the “choke” that’s inside way down in the artichoke? It’s the inedible fuzzy part that covers the delicious artichoke heart. Just scrape that out, and cut up the heart and dip them into the sauce. Artichoke hearts are real gourmet! And there’s a wonderful recipe for spinach artichoke dip on my web site, abouteating.com LOTTIE’S SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP A great party or hostess gift. Lottie is my daughter-in-law Jessie’s sister. Her artichoke dip has reached celebrity status among family and friends. 2 jars, 6 oz each, marinated artichokes Chop artichokes and add everything else. Bake at 375 in greased casserole for about 25 minutes. Artichoke Dip using artichokes; a food from the bible.
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