NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

March 11, 1999

Prairie Fare: Bothering about the Vegetable with Heart

I enjoy eating artichoke hearts on pizza and in pasta and in other ways. It is the artichoke heart, after all, which is the succulent prize that one can flesh out from this cousin to a thistle.

But I'm unwilling to use whole artichokes mainly because of the leaves, only portions of which are edible. I'll admit right here that I've never prepared a whole artichoke, but I've seen it done, so my reluctance to serve whole artichokes is not based on fear of failure. I'm just not sold on the concept. One way to eat a whole cooked artichoke is to break off one leaf at a time, dip it in melted butter and insert it, base first, into your mouth. Then, you draw the leaf back out through partially clenched teeth. This procedure allows you to remove "meat" from the leaf, the remainder of which you discard.

Once you've eaten all the leaves, you come to the prickly "choke" which you either scrape away or cut out. Now you've reached the artichoke heart and the meaty bottomyour prize.

All this maneuvering is fun perhaps, but there's something in this movement that seems somehow self-defeating. It reminds me of the rhythm of eating fondue, and I guess my point is this: Virtually everyone I know who's eaten fondue likes it, but how many of you have had fondue lately? I'm betting the reason for abstaining has something to do with the busywork involved.

But if you really want to prepare whole artichokes (one per person), here's how. First, remove any discolored outer leaves and the small leaves near the bottom. Next, cut the stem off each artichoke even with its base. Then cut about an inch off the top. If you wish, use kitchen scissors to snip the points off the remaining outside leaves. Tie your well-rinsed artichokes from top to bottom with string to prevent the leaves from separating during cooking.

I'd suggest boiling or steaming. For boiling, place the artichokes into a Dutch oven with about three inches of boiling water, to which you can add lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings if you like. Cover and gently boil for 25 to 40 minutes, or until a petal near the center pulls out easily. Stand the cooked artichokes upside down briefly to drain. It's the same procedure for steaming except that you place the artichokes on a rack above the water.

For those of you who are like me and don't want to mess with whole artichokes, here's an alternative. The recipe that follows is my adapted version of what appeared in the June 1993 issue of Bon Appétit. This dip is quite thickthick enough, in fact, for stuffing pasta shells or using for a lasagna filling if you're looking for other uses.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Yield: 12 servings (about 4½ cups)

Ingredients:
2 9-ounce cartons frozen artichoke hearts
¾ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup sour cream
¾ cup grated Romano cheese
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
5 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 5 teaspoons dried)

Procedure:
Prepare artichoke hearts according to package directions. Allow to cool. Combine all ingredients and place mixture into a 1½-quart casserole. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until dip is heated through. Serve with a colorful assortment of fresh vegetables and a variety of crackers.

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

March is National Nutrition Month and a great time to begin exploring the world of variety in foods. Artichokes, a favorite vegetable of the Mediterranean region, are a tasty and interesting vegetable to try on your way toward the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. They're also a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and folate.

The benefits of fiber and vitamin C are fairly well known. Folate is needed for the production of red blood cellsespecially during pregnancyand for producing DNA and RNA in the developing fetus. Along with helping to prevent birth defects, folate also is showing promise in promoting heart health. Magnesium is a mineral that helps keep your skeletal, nervous and reproductive systems healthy, and it may even help prevent certain birth defects. Artichokes also contain plant chemicals, or phytochemicals, known as flavonoids that may help protect against cancer.

Artichokes come in a variety of sizes, from "baby" to "jumbo." In the fall and winter, artichokes may have a blistered, whitish or brownish tint on the leaves. These "winter-kissed" vegetables are considered by some to be the tastiest; they turn green with cooking. As with all produce, wash artichokes carefully with plenty of water before preparing. To maintain freshness, it's a good idea to sprinkle raw artichokes with water before refrigerating them in airtight plastic bags.

Artichoke dip is a commonly featured appetizer in restaurants, but it's easy (and less expensive) to make your own, and you can use frozen artichoke hearts. You also can make some nutritional modifications to reduce calories and fat. With regular ingredients, a serving of Hot Artichoke Dip (about 6 tablespoons) is fairly "high octane"225 calories and 21 grams of fat. By substituting light sour cream, a serving loses 10 calories and 2 grams of fatdown to 215 calories and 19 grams of fat.

Not to incite a riot among walnut lovers, but you may consider reducing the amount of nuts or omitting the nuts entirely. By doing so, you'll eliminate about 580 calories and 56 grams of fat. With light sour cream and no walnuts, the per-serving nutrition total drops to 165 calories and 15 grams of fat. You also may want to experiment with some of the reduced-fat mayonnaise products, but I wouldn't suggest using the fat-free products in this recipe due to some texture or flavor changes.

An alternative to modifying recipes is using a smaller plate and staying with one serving, which may be a challenge with this recipe. Another way to keep your waistline in check is to aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on five or more days of the week.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 and Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

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