To aid in fat digestion I am to eat bitters and artichokes. Well, I've never eaten an artichoke in my life and have had little desire to do so. Hmmm...does my body know something my brain doesn't? Artichokes are nightshades so there is some controversy. Some people tolerate them very well and others not so much. Maybe they'll end up like the parsnip experiment and create a whole lot of misery for me? Or not? I appreciate my doctor understanding my aversion to pills and opting to go the food route for natural healing so I will be brave. A little at a time.
I bought a can of artichokes hearts. They have a metallic taste and I'm pretty sure it's the canning process or the citric acid they use for a preservative. Yuck. An hour after I ate a few bites the back of my head started pounding. Artichoke-induced headaches? Maybe. Too coincidental to think otherwise.
So I bought a fresh artichoke! Can't get anymore natural that that. I asked the produce woman if she knew how to cook them and she went into great detail exclaiming how wonderful they are if you are so inclined to work at it. I got home and researched online. I'm going to add here it shouldn't be so hard to eat a food...
I followed steaming directions and for thirty minutes boiled the hell out of it. With the artichoke stem soft and squishing, I placed it on my plate, and with great anticipation proceeded to peel away the leaves. So...WHAT do I eat? The produce woman said not to eat the hairy parts. OK. I don't want to eat the hairy parts. I'm not seeing what I'm supposed to eat! I've heard one must use their teeth and scrape the meat off the leaves. There's nothing on these leaves! They are skinny and hard!
I have failed in my artichoke-for-digestion experiment. Maybe that's a good thing?
Oh dear, I have no idea what that is either!
ReplyDeletePeople rave about how good artichokes are. I don't get it.
DeleteHahahaha. It sounds like that classic Three Stooges film in which they all sit down to eat artichokes. They patiently peel off all the leaves looking for the good parts, get to the hairy parts, get
ReplyDeletedisgusted, and throw them out.
For fancy dinners, people cut the tips of the leaves off straight (no sharp parts) before steaming, but it's not necessary. Steam them until the stem is a little soft. Then pull off the leaves, dip the soft bottom parts of each leaf in a dip (like olive oil and lemon salad dressing, etc.), and scrape off the soft part with your teeth. Put the rest of the leaf in a special bowl(!), start on the next leaf. When you're down to the really soft leaves and hairy part, pull that all off, and you're left with the crown (flat round disk on top of the stem). That you can cut into chunks or just dip it in the dressing and munch. It's hard to get the crown soft without getting the leaves really overdone.
It does have a little metallic taste. (Leaves the mouth feeling fresh!) That said, I wouldn't start with canned artichokes. Or eat them at any time. They may also be canned in cans with those nasty metal seams. There are also frozen cooked hearts and crowns, which are good in recipes. But better to get the whole experience with fresh ones, including the cooking. :)
I couldn't find anything to eat! The leaves were all skinny and hard. I threw away the canned ones. They just weren't that good.
DeleteMaybe you got a small one? Cocktail size - different prep. If you think of pursuing it, choose a big fat round one! Fleshy part on the bottom inside of each leaf.
ReplyDeleteThis one was pretty big like as big or bigger than my hand. And the produce lady suggested it and she knew how to cook them. Maybe it's off season and the quality just isn't there?
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