Thursday, May 06, 2010

Artichokes with a Big Heart

I love artichokes and spring is when we see a lot of them at the stores and farmers markets. But I have to say I don’t recall seeing these artichokes pictured above. Now I’m seeing them everywhere!

Apparently, these are called Big Heart artichokes and they’re the size of the more common Globe artichokes. The difference is in the look. It’s cleaner, without the thorny edge at the tip of the leaves. It’s almost like it’s been pruned before shipping, giving the globe I nice smooth feel.

I was curious about how different they are to the Globe variety, which I cook with regularly. Turns out, Big Heart is true to its name. The artichoke heart of this variety is wider than a typical Globe heart. So that means more heart meat to eat!

The taste is very similar to any other artichoke. I ended up making a paella with my artichoke pieces, adding it with some chicken and spicy sausage (just because I had them in the freezer). It turned out so hearty! ;-)

2 comments:

Hungry Dog said...

Wow. These are so cool looking! I don't think I've seen them before. I'll have to make a better effort! The paella looks fabulous. mmm...

Anonymous said...

Can I come for dinner:)?