STEAMED ARTICHOKES WITH REVOLUTIONARY BUTTER (Class 101)

Buying:

You're probably used to seeing artichokes in the store and have wondered what to do with them. What a great appetizer! And a GREAT compliment to seafood, if you wish. Try to pick the medium & tightly leaved artichokes. The giant ones are sometimes good, but sometimes a little tough. Same with the little ones. We usually serve 2-4 artichokes.

Preparing:

Chop off the bottom stalk of the artichoke right next to the base and remove one layer of the leaves attached at the bottom by pulling off with your fingers. Take a butcher knife and lop-off about 1/3 -1/2 inch of the top of the artichoke, so you can see all of the leaves swirled into one flat surface. (This is going to allow steam to rise into the leaves and separate them while cooking.)

Cooking:

If you have an electric steamer, simply place the artichokes top down into the steamer and steam for one hour (don't forget the water!). (This version will still be tasty & natural with the dipping sauce, but not as flavorful & rich as the stove top version.)

If you have a stove top steamer (with steaming rack), add the following to the water that you place in the bottom to steam your artichokes (also artichokes top down):

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Smallwood General Spice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Steam for 1 hour, adding more water as necessary.

(One hour usually works, but these artichokes did end up being a little tough and had to be steamed for 1.5 hours. We test them by taking an outer leaf and pulling it under our top teeth. More about that later. If the meat gives way easily without having to tug, then it is ready. You will get the hang of it. Remember that the meat inside the leaves will be much more done that the outer leaves.)

Revolutionary Butter :

While cooking the artichokes, prepare your dipping butter. Heat together:
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) of salted butter
1/3 cup of Country Crock Original
1/4 teaspoon of Smallwood General Spice

(Just before serving, sprinkle a little more Smallwood General Spice into the butter "for presentation".)

Serving:

Once the cooking time has expired, put the artichokes on platters. Serve also with the dipping butter in a small dishes, preferably placed in "butter warmers". Have an empty bowl in the center of the table ready for discards. Your guests will need a knife and a fork. A butter knife is fine. (You can actually share one artichoke in the center of the table, much like a "Blooming Onion".)

Eating:

Pull a leaf off, dip the other "meaty" end into the spicy butter, place it under your teeth and scrape off the "meat" into your mouth underneath your top teeth. Yum! Then discard the rest of the leaf.

Keep going until the leaves are mostly gone and you are left with a saucer-like piece of artichoke "meat".

(To the left, you see the base of the artichoke. To the right, you see the last few center leaves that you can pull off all at once toward the end. These leaves are edible, and quite thin, just watch for "fuzzies". They still have meat at the tips!")

Side view, with the thin last few leaves. On the left is the core of the artichoke, the part that you will cut the "fuzzy" out with a cone-type cutting. On the right, you see the last group of leaves that you pulled off all at once. (At least that's how we do it!) These leaves are thin, so you can dip several layers of the leaves into the Revolutionary Butter to dip and eat together.

Cut the remaining saucer-like piece of "meat" into pieces and dip it in butter with a fork and eat it. (Notice the "fuzzy" part cut out and discarded.)

This dish will amaze you! Don't be intimidated! Try it now!

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