Procedure to Prepare an Artichoke Heart

Appears in

Published 2010

To remove the artichoke’s outer leaves, bend each leaf back until it breaks just above its fleshy base (A). Do not snap the leaves off below the fleshy base. Stop removing leaves when you reach the tender inner cone of pale-colored leaves.
Cut off the top two-thirds of the leaf cone (B) and rub the exposed surfaces with a lemon half.
Using a flexible paring knife, cut off the bottom ¼-in. (0.5-cm) of the stem, then pare away all of the stem’s fibrous green skin and flesh (C). Leave only the pale, whitish interior. Rub the cut surfaces with lemon as you work.
With the flexible paring knife, trim away the fibrous outer flesh of the artichoke base, leaving only the pale, whitish interior (D). Rub the cut surfaces with lemon.
Cut the artichoke heart in half lengthwise and rub the cut surfaces with lemon. Insert the point of the knife just under the hairy choke and, cutting in an arc, slice under it (E). Pull the choke away from the bottom and discard it, then drop the cleaned artichoke heart half into the acidulated water. Repeat with the remaining half. Note: If whole artichoke hearts are needed instead, follow step 4 of Procedure to Prepare Artichokes for Stuffing.
Boil (F) and refresh the artichoke hearts, or poach them à blanc (see the recipe directions).