Issue date: June 16, 1999
By JANE KNOERLE
Artichokes aren't easy. They are hard to grow and harvest, troublesome to prepare, and messy to eat. But inside a thorny exterior is a vegetable that has been prized for its unique, nutty flavor since ancient times.
Artichokes are said to be one of the oldest foods known to man, thought to be native to Arabia, the Mediterranean, and Turkey as far back as 500 B.C.
The artichoke became a favorite of royalty, perhaps because it was reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Catherine de Medici is said to have introduced the artichoke into France when she married the heir to the French throne back in the mid-1500s. She came with her coterie of chefs, who introduced the Florentine cooking style, and a variety of new vegetables, to French cooks. Soon artichokes were a must for state occasions.
Early plantings were made in the United States by French settlers in Louisiana, and when Italian immigrants came to California in the late 1800s, they soon planted their prickly favorite.
The first commercial artichoke fields were planted in 1922 near Castroville by Angelo Del Chiaro and his cousin, Dan, who rented land for $25 an acre and planted 150 acres of artichokes, according to the California Artichoke Advisory Board. By 1926, there were nearly 12,000 acres of artichokes under cultivation on the California coast, where mild winters and foggy summers provide ideal growing conditions.
Today there are about 9,000 California acres devoted to growing artichokes, with 75 percent of the crop raised in Monterey County, according to the advisory board.
Artichokes are a labor-intensive crop since they are planted, cultivated and harvested by hand. Because artichokes mature at different times on the plant, fields must be harvested every seven days during the peak growing season of March to May.
Labor accounts for 40 to 60 percent of the growing costs. The largest and smallest artichokes are marketed fresh. About 25 percent of the crop is canned, and another 25 percent processed into frozen artichoke hearts, according to the advisory board.
Little Castroville (population 5,000) proclaims itself the artichoke capital of the world and celebrates with an artichoke festival each May. Along with music and entertainment, there are food booths offering the "choke" in everything from soup to dessert. Marilyn Monroe, then a young and unknown model, was crowned California Artichoke Queen at the festival in 1948.
If you can't wait until next May, the Giant Artichoke restaurant in Castroville serves its favorite veggie deep-fried, steamed, sauteed, marinated and in soup, bread, muffins and pie. Pie? Tastes like pumpkin pie, according to a restaurant server.
Artichokes, small, medium and large, are all mature. The smallest simply grow on different parts of the shoot. Baby artichokes, which are two inches or less in diameter, have the same unique flavor. In addition, they often have no fuzzy center.
Look for artichokes that are compact, firm and heavy for their size. Choose spring and summer artichokes with an even green color. Fall and winter artichokes may be touched by frost and show light brown on the outer leaves. Many believe these winter "chokes" have the best and nuttiest flavor.
Artichokes not only taste good, but they're low in calories, and good for you. A 12-ounce artichoke contains only 25 calories and is a significant source of vitamin C, folic acid and magnesium. Of course, of those 12 ounces, only 2 ounces are edible.
Artichokes are not fast food. Preparation takes time. To prepare a whole artichoke for cooking, first trim the stem so it stands upright, then cut 1/3 off the top of the vegetable. Remove the tough outer leaves and trim the thorny tips of leaves with scissors. If the artichoke is to be stuffed, scrape out fuzzy center of cooked artichoke with a spoon and discard.
Now comes the fun part -- eating. You pull off a leaf, holding it by the pointed end. Pull it through your teeth to remove the soft, pulpy part of petal. Discard the rest. The bottom of the artichoke is delicious and entirely edible after removing the fuzzy center.
Artichokes are an ideal diet food because they take a long time to eat and are low in calories -- that is, if you don't dip them in melted butter or hollandaise sauce. Try a yogurt or vinaigrette dip instead.
While California kids are blase about artichokes, learning to handle an artichoke is a rite of passage in parts of the country where they are still considered rather exotic.
Artichokes are an important part of Italian cuisine. In the spring and summer, Italian cooks prize baby artichokes, which require only a light trimming of their bases and tough outer leaves before they are steamed whole or sliced to serve raw in salads.
Fontana's Italian Restaurant, 1850 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, has many artichoke dishes on the menu. A favorite is the Dungeness crab and artichoke "Hot Pot" with cheese toasts for spreading ($5.95). "We wouldn't dare take it off the menu," says Alan Moll, president of Fontana's and Good Earth Restaurants.
Another classic is Capellini Paesana ($11.95), angel hair pasta with artichoke hearts, garlic, pear tomatoes, capers, and black olives.
Carciofi Fritti, served in a martini glass, is an elegant appetizer of crisp artichoke hearts with caper aioli for dipping ($4.95). "This is a fun appetizer to share. People still favor nice, crispy stuff," says Mr. Moll.
A whole artichoke ($4.95) can be ordered hot or cold with aioli while a chilled artichoke stuffed with tomato, basil and garlic aioli ($4.95) makes a light summer lunch.
Capellini Paesana
Fontana's Italian Restaurant
2 oz. olive oil
6 teas. roasted garlic chopped
8 baby artichoke hearts, blanched and quartered, or canned
1 cup capers
2 cups Kalamata olives, pitted
2 cups green onions, diced
4 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
8 oz. vegetable or chicken stock
4 oz. reduced veal stock (available at Andronico's or Draeger's)
12 oz. angel hair (capellini) pasta cooked al dente
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Heat large pot, add olive oil. Add garlic, artichoke hearts, capers, olives, green onions and tomatoes. Saute on high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vegetable and veal stocks and reduce heat to medium. Add cooked capellini to pot, season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. This makes four very generous servings.
Duarte's Tavern is Pescadero is famous for its artichoke soup. The owners have agreed to share their recipe with the Almanac.
Artichoke soup
12 baby artichokes
1 teaspoon salad oil
2 cloves garlic
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons corn starch
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook baby artichokes in water, adding salad oil, salt and pepper and garlic, until al dente. Drain artichokes until cool enough to handle. Strip outside leaves down to the heart. Cut hearts into quarters and put in blender with chicken broth to make a puree. Add more chicken broth if mixture seems too thick.
When all artichokes are blended, pour into a pan and add butter. When mixture comes to a boil, add cream mixed with corn starch and cook over medium heat until thickened. Serves 4 to 6.
Rio Grill's Artichoke
Whenever I go to the Rio Grill in Carmel, I order the grilled artichoke. I'm not alone. Rio Grill's customers consume over 100 artichokes a day, according to executive chef Kurt DeGuzman. While Mr. DeGuzman won't reveal exact ingredients and timing, here is a general description of how it's done: Clean artichoke, peel stem, and trim tough bottom outer leaves. Blanch artichoke in salted boiling water for five minutes. Drain upside down. Marinate for at least six hours with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, thyme, oregano, red chili flakes and olive oil. Remove from marinade, wrap in foil and put on grill. Remove from grill, sprinkle with more balsamic vinegar and serve with aioli made with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, egg and olive oil.
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