The Choke's On You - Recap

Alton begins this episode as he has others, in the Food Gallery. Displayed here are foods that confound the cook. Over here is the pomegranate, succulent but impenetrable. Next to it we see the green bean, benevolent on the plate but requiring much tedium in preparation, snapping the ends and pulling the strings. There is the blue crab, dainty but dangerous. And finally, the enigmatic artichoke with its tough leaves and spiny – wait... the artichoke isn’t as difficult as many people think! And at its heart it is certainly... Good Eats!

At the food store Alton admires the daisy, a relative of the thistle. Not far away stand the larger relatives of the daisy, the sunflowers. And though most folks don’t know it, the sunflower also has a larger relative. That’s right, the artichoke is the bud of a giant thistle. Don’t like flower buds? Alton’s cart contains a selection of popular buds. The caper is the tiny brined bud of a flower; it flavors many dishes. The cabbage and the cauliflower are also buds.

For those willing to them a try, Alton offers some tips on how to select artichokes. Look for specimens that are about the size of a large orange. These are big enough to be worthwhile, but not yet so large that they’re fibrous. Like a lot of produce they should seem heavy for their size. A variety of colors are fine; plants from early spring will be lighter green perhaps even with a bit of bronze from frost. Later spring plants will be light green with just a hint of purple. And summer crops yield olive colored plants. Alton demonstrates another important test by bending the leaf. It should snap cleanly, not flex. If it flexes the plant is too dry. And the leaves should be tightly together or just barely open. Leaves that are popping out are characteristic of old plants, avoid them. Alton’s grocer sells individual artichokes, which lets Alton select specimens with long stems. The stems taste almost as good as the heart, so get long stems if you can.

Back in his kitchen, Alton reveals that ninety percent of the artichoke crop is grown in Castorville, California. The further the kitchen is from there, the longer the vegetables have been on a truck. Like all produce, the quicker it gets to the kitchen the better it will taste. To discourage moisture loss Alton makes a unique artichoke storage vessel: he cuts a large soda bottle (the sort that hold two liters) so that he can place the artichoke inside. Then he telescopes one part onto the other. This is superior to plastic bags that can trap moisture against the leaves, causing rot. And it works better than many square containers that just can accommodate the artichoke’s strange shape.

Alton prepares artichokes for cooking by dunking them upside down in plenty of cold water and swishing them a bit. Their layered leaves can trap dust particles and contaminants; this gentle cleaning allows those particles to float away. Then he drains and cuts them. A lot of books have elaborate cutting plans for artichokes, but Alton does it simply: he cuts off the top, and then the step. That’s it. He peels the stem (remember, it’s almost as tasty as the heart).

Alton puts a little kosher salt in a large pot and sets the artichokes in there stem side up. Then he covers them with water to about one inch above them. Alton prevents them from floating to the top by sitting an upside down steamer insert on them and weighing it down with anything heavy, waterproof and heatproof. Artichokes contain chemicals that can discolor metal pots, so Alton suggests anodized aluminum or stainless steel – non-reactive cookware.

Turning the heat to high Alton brings the water just to a boil (use a probe thermometer set to 210º. He leaves the pot uncovered because the artichoke emits volatile acids during cooking. If these are trapped inside they’ll transform the chlorophyll into pheophytin, an unappealing brown pigment. Because they’re volatile, leaving the lid off is enough to prevent this. The acids escape into the air.

When the water boils Alton turns the heat down to medium and sets a time for ten minutes. To see if the vegetables are done, Alton removes the gear and fishes one out of the drink. After it drains he inserts a knife into the middle of the stem. If the knife slides in with minimal resistance and comes out clean the vegetable is done. Since his are done, he drains them in a colander for five minutes.

Alton takes a few minutes to explain the internal structure. The base is the stem; it expands into a crown. In the center of the crown is the delicious heart of the artichoke. Atop the base rests the fuzzy choke. The choke is what would become the bloom if the vegetable had not been harvested. Surrounding all this are the leaves, called brachts. These are edible when young but in older specimens only the meaty junction where the bract meets the base is edible.

Have a sauce on hand, Alton advises. For hot artichokes he uses a lemon butter; for cold ones, a garlicky vinaigrette or a thin mayo. Either way he dips the leaf and scrapes it against his top teeth to get the tender flesh. When he reaches the point where the leaves are too small for the effort, he picks up the artichoke and slides a paring knife in the side. Pressing down and working the knife around he keeps the knife just under the green line. When he completes the cut he lifts the choke off in (mostly) one piece, scraping away any little bits that are left. After that he dips the heart one bite at a time until it’s gone.

For some dishes all that’s needed is the heart. Alton buys artichokes that are just slightly past prime as these will have more tender hearts. To harvest the hearts Alton gathers an electric knife, a peeler and a grapefruit spoon, and prepares too containers of acidulated water. One container is a dip for tools and the other holds the hearts. The acid discourages browning. A few lemons in a quart of water work well for this. He starts by pulling off the leaves. Then he dips the peeler in one of the vessels and peels up from the base of the stem and over the top, removing any remaining bits of bract. When that’s done all the way round he goes around the outside of the base to clean it up and remove little bits of bracht that remain. Dipping his knife in acidulated water, he slices the vegetable in half and then uses a grapefruit spoon (also dipped) to dig out the chock. What’s left is the good stuff. Alton drop it into the waiting bath and weights it down.

When he’s prepared as many vegetables as he needs, he tosses on a little olive oil, salt and some ground black pepper. Artichokes prepared this way can be sautéed, braised, roasted or broiled. Alton elects to broil his. He arranges the artichokes face up on a half sheet pan and slides that into the oven five or six inches from the broiling element. Five minutes on one side and then three on the other cooks them. Artichokes prepared this way work well with pasta, salad, rice or soup. Or do what Alton does next: marinade them!

Alton prepares most of his infused oils at home (the exception being garlic oil, since clostridium botulinum, the organism that causes botulism poisoning, has an affinity for garlic oil). He starts with a pint of canola oil and a cup of olive oil over medium high heat. Setting a probe thermometer for 200º, Alton wedges it in place with a paper clip. Then he grabs a Mason jar and fills it with the infusion: orange zest, parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, a few black peppercorns and a single arbol chili. When the oil reaches the right temperature Alton pours it slowly into the infusions.

Alton puts the artichokes into a second jar. Then he covers the first jar with cheesecloth and screws on just the ring part of the lid. That holds the cheesecloth in place so he can pour just the oil over the artichokes. Marinated artichokes tossed in their own oil with red wine vinegar, tiny tomatoes, herbs, pasta, parmesan cheese and pepper make a fine salad indeed. Such a salad now appears in the Food Gallery as we return there. Yes, the artichoke requires some labor. But what worthy thing doesn’t? Alton recommends cooks consider in an investment in flavor and... Good Eats!

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