The Artichoke: Spring’s Spiny Treat
Olive-green in color, this flower bud of a relative of the common thistle is covered with spiny-tipped leaves. While this description doesn’t sound very appetizing, somehow humans have managed to get beyond the intimidating appearance of the artichoke, which has intrigued and inspired us since the days of the Ancient Greeks (when, as the myth goes, an angry Zeus turned his mortal girlfriend Cynara into an artichoke).
The artichoke’s latest press takes the form of food writer Russ Parsons’ new book, How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table. Parsons, the food and wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is an acclaimed food journalist whose first book, How to Read a French Fry, was well-received by critics.
Although Parsons focuses on many fruits and vegetables in How to Pick a Peach, his treatment of the artichoke is of interest this month, because March marks the beginning of peak artichoke season in Monterey County, California, where 80% of the nation’s artichokes are grown, according to the California Artichoke Advisory Board. For nearly fifty years, the town of Castroville has celebrated artichokes with an annual festival each May, which includes a parade, agricultural art displays, and, of course, everything artichoke.
Even if you can’t make it to Castroville this spring, that’s no reason to miss out on this delicious vegetable. Parsons suggests buying baby artichokes (usually more reasonably-priced than their larger counterparts) and braising them, yet these small, tender specimens are also tasty when sautéed with garlic, olive oil and red pepper and served atop fresh linguine. Is your mouth watering yet?
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