I don’t think you can call yourself a Bay Area resident if you don’t know how to eat an artichoke, it’s sort of a right of passage around these parts. My Dad, who grew up on a farm in Ohio, said he didn’t know how to eat an artichoke when he first arrived in California to attend Stanford as a grad student. He had never had a fresh one before! My Mom had to show him how it was done. And then I came along. Hmmm, maybe Catherine de Medici was right, maybe they really are an aphrodisiac?
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This is my Mom’s recipe for grilled artichokes. I actually never knew there was anchovy in it as a kid. It wasn’t until she passed away a few years ago, and I inherited her enormous collection of recipes, that I found this one typed on a piece of paper in her giant folder. She didn’t add the mint, that’s my addition. And she always barbecued everything over charcoal, which I should do more often.
Yes, there a quite a few steps to this recipe. But none of them are hard and I think the end result is worth it. My husband doesn’t quite understand the fascination with artichokes as he thinks they are a lot of work to cook and eat. We strongly disagree on this matter, as I think they are every bit worth every bite. I still don’t see him complaining when I cook them…
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My artichokes are still poppin’ and I’ve had repeat crops this year! I guess October is the new March in California. I normally leave a bunch of chokes on the plant because the purple thistle is so spectacular when it blooms (is it called a bloom? I don’t know) but this year my chokes were so tasty and surprisingly bug free so I had to harvest.
If I had to choose two foods that say ‘Bay Area’, it would be Dungeness crab and Globe artichokes. Whenever I’ve lived far away from home, these are the two things I crave above all others…
