How to Clean an Artichoke

Did I mention how much I love Spring? Here's another reason why: ARTICHOKES

The fresh stuff is hard work, but it just makes eating it that much sweeter. Once you learn how easy it is to clean an artichoke, you won't go back to the frozen of marinated stuff.

You'll need two tools: a sharp 8 inch chef/kitchen knife and a sharp paring knife.

Directions

1. Prepare a bowl of cold water with the juice of half a lemon. Keep the artichoke in the water to prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown.
2. Using your kitchen knife, start, by cutting off the top half, until the purple flow is exposed.
3. Cut around the circumference of the artichoke, until all the dark leaves are gone. The darker the leaves, the tougher it is to cook. You really only want the light green/yellow heart.
4. Now, take the paring knife and trim the bottom and the stem, so that only the white is left exposed.
5. Dip the artichoke in the water to prevent oxidization while you continue to clean it.
6. Cut the artichoke into quarters.
7. Trim the flower fuzz from the inside of each quarter.
8. Immediately soak all parts in water until you're ready to use it.
Notice that I left the bottom of the outer leaves attached. Since it's a light green, it'll cook nicely and have a similar taste to the heart.