Artichauts à la Barigoule

There are many versions of this dish – one of the oldest Provençal ways of preparing the delicious globe artichoke. This one comes from a book of old Provençal recipes and varies little from that given in the classic book, Les Plats Régionaux de France by Austin de Croze. The best artichokes for this dish are the small purple leaved variety that are picked from the side shoots of the plants when they are only inches across. At this size the hairy chokes have not formed and the whole