Our Hearts Belong to Artichokes

Artichokes are one of the most beautiful of all the vegetables, perhaps because they are immature thistles; if left longer on the stem, they would blossom into gorgeous flowers.

Because of their beauty and delicate taste, artichokes are most often served solo as a first course. Boiled or steamed whole, artichokes are ridiculously easy to prepare but look extravagant—all important for that opening note. The simplest way to serve them is hot with little bowls of melted butter or hollandaise sauce for dipping or completely cooled with a vinaigrette. Artichokes with their chokes removed or trimmed down to their meaty bottoms are the quintessential vegetable for stuffing. They take as well to simple savory mixtures in winter as to cool seafood salads in summer. Artichoke hearts are considered a delicacy not just for their rich taste but also for the labor of love needed to trim these prickly globes. Savor them sliced or sautéed.