Baby Artichokes make an interesting and delicious starter course for your dinner party. They are sure to please and delight your guests.
What are baby artichokes? They are not a separate variety of the larger artichokes. They are just miniature and fully mature version of the traditional Artichoke. They average about 2 to 3 inches long, and come maybe 15 to 20 to a container. These miniature Artichokes are fun because with just a little trimming you can eat the whole thing.
Learn about the History and Legends of Artichokes and check out How to purchase, store, prepare, cook, and eat artichokes (with photos), and more of great Artichoke Recipes.
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How To Prepare Baby Artichokes - Information from Ocean Mist website.
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Start by rinsing and brushing off the Baby Artichokes under cold water. This will remove the natural thin film an Artichoke produces while growing that can give the choke a bitter taste.
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Then, snap off the outer layer of petals of the Baby Artichoke until you reach the pale, yellow-green layer of petals.
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With a sharp kitchen knife, trim off the stem and remove the rest of the dark green stem that can cause a bitter taste if not removed.
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Cut about one half inch off the top of the Baby Artichoke. An optional method to preserve the color and prevent browning of Baby Artichokes is to soak them in lemon or vinegar water after trimming. Drain the Baby Artichokes when ready to use or cook.
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Boil the trimmed baby artichokes, completely submerged in salted water until tender, approximately 10 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Drain well and let cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
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In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.
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When ready to serve, use a spoon to place a thick line of the mayonnaise-mustard mixture off to one side of each individual small flat serving plate. Use a clean, unused comb, or similar, to draw wavy lines on the plate through the sauce. Place the cooked artichoke on the plate and sprinkle dill weed atop the “wavy” sauce, and serve.
Sources: This recipe and photo were shared with me by Peggy Bucholz and her Fine Dining web site.