Houston's Grilled Artichokes With Remoulade Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat grilled artichoke hearts? ›

With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. Cut the heart into pieces and eat: Underneath the artichoke choke is the heart. Cut the heart into pieces and dip into melted butter, a vinaigrette, or a sauce to eat.

The artichoke hearts sold in jars are already cooked. They're tender and ready to eat, but not very flavorful. The best thing to do with them is marinate them and roast them. A simple vinaigrette of lemon juice or vinegar, garlic and olive oil is all you really need to give them a flavor punch.

Canned artichokes are also a lunchtime hero: Try chopping and stirring them into a quick meal like chicken or tuna salad, or even let them replace the protein altogether as a vegetarian option. Chop them even finer and use them as a flavor-bomb of a spread on a regular ham or turkey sandwich.

Two major active components of artichoke are the salts of chlorogenic acid and cynarin. The sweetening of substances by temporarily modifying the tongue, rather than by adding a substance sweet in itself, may provide an alternative to currently used nonnutritive sweeteners.

Cut the stem, leaving about an inch, and then peel the outer skin since it can taste bitter. Make sure to rub lemon on the bottom of the stem, too. Clean the artichokes by running them under cold water, making sure to clean between the leaves.

The purple flowering artichoke has a floral, citrusy aroma that pairs well with other citrus-scented ingredients such as lemons, limes, bergamots and grapefruit. Fresh herbs like basil, cilantro and even chile peppers complement the artichoke's floral notes, as do meats like duck, bacon and fried gamba (shrimp).

Loaded with nutrients

Artichokes are packed with powerful nutrients. Artichokes are low in fat while rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Particularly high in folate and vitamin C, they also supply important minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium ( 2 ).

Spoon out fuzzy center at base; discard. The bottom, or heart, of the artichoke is entirely edible.

If you do choose to buy canned artichokes, rinse them before use to reduce the sodium content.

When choosing canned artichokes, you'll find that they're usually sold either whole or quartered in a saltwater solution. When you open a can of artichokes, be sure to rinse them thoroughly so that all you're left with is the sweet, slightly tangy flavor and creamy texture of the vegetable.

Are artichoke hearts in a jar good for you? ›

It doesn't matter how you find 'em--frozen, canned, bottled, marinated or discovered at the center of the beautiful fresh vegetable--artichoke hearts have amazing flavor and boast some serious nutrients. First, they're loaded with potassium, a mineral that helps maintain normal heart rhythm and controls blood pressure.

You can just eat them raw

The easiest artichoke option of them all, of course, is simply eating them straight from the jar. If you're buying canned from the supermarket, you'll want to be sure to give them a good rinse to remove excess sodium; otherwise, it's easy to eat them straight.

Canned artichokes do not necessarily need to be cooked as they are already pre-cooked during the canning process. They can be consumed straight from the can. Some people prefer to heat them before consuming for various reasons, such as enhancing the flavor or achieving a warmer temperature.

The two most common ways to cook these thistles are boiling and steaming. While both are equally easy, I recommend steaming. Boiling artichokes tends to waterlog them, which makes the flesh watery and dilutes the flavor.

Rub all cut surfaces with a lemon half to keep them from turning dark. Some cooks like to soak the trimmed artichoke in lemony water for an hour or so before cooking to improve taste and tenderness.

Whole globe artichokes can be purchased fresh, and artichoke hearts are available frozen, canned in water, or jarred in olive oil and spices. The oil-packed ones are a little higher in healthy fat, but draining the oil will help save some calories.

Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise (or leave whole if you prefer, but this will take longer to cook) and use a spoon to scrape out and discard the hairy center (this is the choke).