Artichokes

In this country, artichokes are usually quite large, which means they’re most often steamed (or poached) and served as an appetizer, with melted butter, mayonnaise, vinaigrette, or another sauce. But if you can find small artichokes, trim and slice them, then sauté or even eat them raw. Larger artichokes can also be eaten this way, but you must first either scoop out the choke from the top (use a spoon) or, more efficiently, cut them in quarters the long way, trim, and cut out the choke.