How to choose and cook artichokes?

Choosing the artichoke wisely

The artichoke must have tightly packed leaves, without spots or bruises, with an overall dense appearance. Camus de Brittany, white, pepper, the choice is yours!

What is its season?

The artichoke season extends from March to September. The opportunity to take advantage of it in all our spring and summer recipes.

How to store it?

Store the raw artichoke in a plastic bag, then in the vegetable drawer.

How to cook the artichoke?

The artichoke can be cooked in three ways.

Cooking artichokes in a pan

If this covered cooking takes the longest, cooking artichokes in a pan is also the one that requires the least supervision. How do we do ? Simply immerse the artichokes in a large pot of boiling water, possibly slightly lemony, for approximately 40 to 45 minutes for white artichokes and 8 to 10 minutes for purple artichokes. Drain them, let them cool and all you have to do is serve.

Artichoke cooking time : 45 minutes in court-bouillon

Cooking artichokes in a pressure cooker

Although we do not recommend cooking peppered artichokes in a pressure cooker, which are too small, it is very practical for white artichokes. How do we do ? Let them cook in boiling water or in the steam basket for 15 to 20 minutes. And we serve drained with a vinaigrette.

Artichoke cooking time : 20 minutes in the casserole

Cooking artichokes in the microwave

To successfully cook artichokes in the microwave, it is recommended to wrap them individually in plastic film, after soaking them in lemon water. Let the white artichokes cook for about 10 minutes and the purple artichokes for 3 to 5 minutes.
To check the doneness of artichokes cooked in the microwave, the leaves should come off easily, with little resistance, when pulled. On the other hand, the leaves which come off on their own indicate an overcooked and unpresentable artichoke!

Artichoke cooking time : 10 minutes in the microwave