Artichoke Flowers

First of all, the artichokes for this recipe have to be fresh and meaty (hard and firm when you grip them).

Cut stem and bottom part out of each artichoke, as well as the tip (at about 1/3 of the total lenght of the artichoke once its bottom part has been removed).

Cut the lemon in halves and use them to rub te exposed cuts in the artichokes as soon as you cut them, to avoid oxidation (which makes them dark). Remove all the leaves on the outer layers until you get to the inner parts which are more white-yellow than green.

The artichokes will now have kind of a barrel shape. Put all those artichoke “barrels” upside down on a pot and fill it with olive oil up to a level a little less than half the height of the artichokes.

Here comes the only tricky part of the recipe: You have to cook the artichokes in the oil at a very low temperature. Exactly how low or at what exact temperature I couldn’t really tell you as I have never measured it (I don’t get that technical when cooking). As a reference, I have a ceramic cooktop and I have to set a small burner power control at its 1 or 2 position (over a maximum of 6). Sometimes I have to change it up or down between those two power positions, so keep an eye on it to avoid bringing the oil to a boil (when you see it bubbling). You need to cook artichokes for about 20 minutes, covered. Then remove lid, turn the “barrels” upside down, put the lid on again and cook for other 20 minutes.

Remove artichokes from the pot and drain on a plate for a few minutes. Use a couple of medium-sized spoons to gently open the leaves and start forming the flowers, beginning with the outer leaves.

Move the artichoke flowers with care to their final serving plate, sprinkle some coarse salt over them, and enjoy!