for the love of artichokes

if you were a vegetable what kind would you be? a carrot-- sharp, a little sweet, and kinda no nonsense? or maybe a mushroom-- earthy, versatile, possibly exotic? what about an artichoke-- prickly and sharp on the outside but soft and amazingly appealing on the inside? hmm.... i don't wanna be a vegetable, i just wanna eat them. especially the artichoke!

ever since i was a kid i have had a love affair with artichokes. my mom would serve them on special occasions, or maybe they just felt like special occasions because they were being served. i relished pulling off each leaf one by one and and sucking off the meaty flesh. i worked meticulously until i got to the fuzzy core (my mom would generously and patiently remove this part for me) and then i would take the heart and let it luxuriously bathe in my bowl of warm margarine (because it was the 80's) and lemon juice that my mom had prepared. in the meantime i would eat whatever else comprised our dinner until i felt that the artichoke has been sufficiently soaked and that i had waited long enough and shouldn't resist any longer.  the artichoke is a wonder; just the act of eating it is process but once your work on the leaves is finished, you will be well rewarded. the heart is pure decadence, but it is completely healthy. it is full of vitamins, high in fiber, low in fat and calories and an excellent source of anti-oxidants. okay, i'm gushing now, but guess what...i think it may be perfect.

here's the thing-sometimes i want artichokes but i don't want to wait. i want to add them quickly to a pasta or a salad without cooking them or going through the full deconstruction process. canned artichokes are a good solution, but let's face it--they lose a lot of flavor hanging out in those aluminum cans of water for so long. well, i think i may have the perfect solution. yesterday i picked up 2 bags of these in whole foods, and now i am officially obsessed. apparently monterey farms is down the block from the artichoke capital of the world, so they know what they're doing. they come in 4 flavors and i have tried two--the grilled and the buffalo. the  grilled was earthy, a little smoky and perfectly charred. the buffalo was intense; garlicky and a little spicy. i can't think of anything i'd like more that a warm bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, a little olive oil, and some of these guys. i'll confess that i've eaten them three times today; i scrambled some of the buffalo ones with eggs this morning then threw the rest into my salad at lunch. for dinner i stir-fried some of the grilled ones with some kale, seitan, mushrooms, &  tomatoes and they were delicious. sadly, this means i have almost depleted my meager reserve, so i'll have to stock up next time i'm at whole foods. until then, happy artichoke dreams to me.

* the above photo of the artichokes is not mine. the link to it on flickr is here. i do not own a polaroid camera, but if you are ever inclined to give me one as a gift, i would encourage you to do so, as it will be greatly appreciated.