How to Cook Artichokes?
The largest liver When the friendly artichoke comes together with various garnishes and olive oil, it becomes an insatiable dish. In addition, it is an indisputable fact that it is one of the most decorated presentations on the table with its appearance in the form of a bowl.
Artichoke is a perennial herbaceous plant from the daisy family that reaches an average height of 50-150 cm and blooms purple-blue flowers. It grows around the Mediterranean and in Southern Europe.
Artichoke is the bud of the artichoke flower. The part we consume as a vegetable is the head part. When the flower is immature, the artichoke is harvested when blue purple hairs begin to appear on the flower head, that is, on the head. If it is expected to bloom, very beautiful flowers will bloom, but after that time it cannot be consumed as artichoke. There are two main types of artichoke grown in Turkey. The first of these, the Bayrampaşa artichoke, is a rather large and dwarf artichoke.
Gum artichoke, another type of artichoke, grows in Izmir and Karaburun. It is a small type of artichoke, and besides the core, the very fleshy inner leaves are eaten.
How to Tell Fresh Artichoke?
If you buy a fresh artichoke If you haven’t, you should be prepared for awns that will disturb you while eating because as the artichoke matures, awns begin to form in the belly part. For this, you should definitely check before buying and buy from a place you trust.
To understand a fresh artichoke, first hold the artichoke by the stem and turn it over. When you shake it in this way, if its head moves back and forth, it means a fresh artichoke, but if it does not swing, it is not fresh because the overripe stem does not allow the head of the artichoke to shake. It is rested and sold in this water. The peeled artichokes you bought from an unreliable source can give you a fishbone surprise at the table.
This means a greater risk to your health than an artichoke with bones. You need to do the peeling just before cooking. In this way, you will both prevent darkening and reduce the risk of oxidation. After laying the artichoke on its side on a cutting board, cut the leaves hanging from the top with your knife. Thus, the leaves will remain around and the belly part will be visible from above. After cleaning the leaves on the sides, remove the edges with a knife and completely remove the leaves. If you are going to use gum artichoke, you can consume it with the leaves. Cut off only the 2 rows of leaves at the bottom. Cut off the stem, you can use this part in soups and salads. Also cut off the tips of the leaves in the crown area. Clean the hairs in the belly area with a spoon.
How to Cook Artichokes?
If you are going to make stuffed artichokes with garnish, first of all, prepare the garnishes you will use.You can also use peas only if you wish. Add a teaspoon of granulated sugar or a cube of sugar to the onions that are starting to turn pink and continue frying. Then add your side dish vegetables and mix a few more times, then turn off the stove. After placing the mortar you prepared into the artichoke cores, place the cores in the pot. Put the water in the pot until it does not rise above the artichokes and add the salt. Then squeeze half a lemon and cook on low heat. Drizzle olive oil on top of it’s cooking. Serve with chopped dill.
If you are going to make stuffed artichokes with meat, you will get a more delicious result with mastic artichoke. First, mix 250 grams of ground beef, 1 grated onion, chopped parsley and dill, 1 handful of crushed walnuts, 3 tomatoes in a blender, 3 tablespoons of rice, 3 tablespoons of bulgur, black pepper, salt and 1 tea glass of olive oil in a bowl. Then, open the leaves of the mastic artichokes, cleaned as described above, with your hands and fill them with the mortar.
Cook for about 45 minutes on medium heat.
How to Boil Artichokes?
You can boil artichokes and use them in your salads. For this, it will be sufficient to put the cleaned artichokes in a pot and boil them in lemon and salt water. It is boiled in about 30 minutes. At the end of this period, you can use it in strips or cut into cubes if you wish.
How to Store Artichokes in the Freezer?
If you want to consume artichokes when it is not in season, the method is very simple. Peeled and cleaned lemons are boiled in squeezed boiling water for 3-4 minutes and after being taken out of the water, they are immediately taken into ice water and shocked. After it is kept in iced water until it cools down, it is put in freezer bags and thrown into the deep freezer. water with lemon and boiling properly.
If you bought peeled artichokes, mix them with lemon water without wasting any time. Otherwise, you may have to cook the blackened artichokes. This will prevent you from getting that clean and delicious image at the presentation stage.
After you fill your boiled artichokes with garnish, you can drizzle olive oil on them and garnish with dill. As a garnish, you can use only peas and broad beans, or you can use a mixture of peas, carrots and potatoes. At this stage, it will be enough for the side dish to be cooked.
If you are going to bake the artichokes after cooking, you need to keep the boiling time shorter. It will be enough to boil for about 15 minutes.
Chicken Artichokes with Bechamel Sauce
The things you need to turn your boiled artichokes into a delicious meal are hidden in this recipe.
Chicken Artichokes with Bechamel Sauce.
Ingredients:
10 boiled artichokes
500 grams boneless chicken thigh.
2 onions
Half a tea glass of olive oil
2 pieces of capia pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
2 glasses of milk
4 tablespoons of flour
1 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
How to Prepare:
Chop your onions into cubes and fry them in half a tea glass of olive oil with finely chopped garlic. Add the diced chicken thighs to the roasted onions and fry them until the water is gone. The capia peppers are cubed. Chop it into cubes and add it to the mortar, then add a teaspoon of salt and pepper each, and close the bottom. For the bechamel sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and smell 4 tablespoons of flour. Add 2 cups of cold milk to it slowly and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Divide the bechamel sauce over the artichokes you put on the tray. After putting the chicken mortar on it, bake the artichokes in the oven preheated to 180 degrees until golden brown. When the cheese melts, take it out of the oven and serve it hot.
Benefits of Artichokes;
It is very beneficial for the digestive system as it has a high fiber content.It is good for constipation. It has
diuretic feature. Components in artichoke leaves stimulate the bladder and allow toxins in the body to be thrown out through urine.
Liver friendly. It minimizes liver fat. In addition, it balances the cholesterol level in the blood and relieves the burden of the liver, which is responsible for filtering cholesterol. It is also very useful in terms of bile health, because artichoke leaves help the liver get rid of toxins by regulating bile flow.
Because it is a vegetable rich in iron, it is good for anemia if consumed regularly.
Against spastic colon disease. it is curative. This disease causes complaints such as indigestion, inability to see the need for the toilet, swelling and pain. It is said that if people with this disease consume artichoke and the recommended vegetables and grains (whole rice, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, fish, potatoes) its effects are alleviated and it has a healing effect.
The Harms of Artichoke
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Consumption of artichoke leaves by people with gallstones may exacerbate gallstone symptoms.
