The Artichoke: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

Fresh Artichoke

The artichoke has been around since Ancient Greece flourished, but it’s still a mystery to many.

Technically an artichoke is a thistle.  Some actually have thorns on the outer edge of each leaf.  Be careful not to stab yourself while handling them.  Cut off the thorns with scissors.

To cook an artichoke, boil or steam it first for about 35-50 minutes, depending on size, and then set it upside down in a colander on the sink to drain and cool.  Too much boiling makes everything mushy, but too little means the edible parts will be tough to chew.  An artichoke is ready to eat when a thick bottom leaf can be pulled off without using force, and the ‘meaty’ part of the leaf is soft.

Era-Themed Dinners

1950s-Style Shrimp Cocktails

The most fun I’ve had in the kitchen recently came as a result of menu boredom.  “Not the same old dishes yet again,” I thought to myself as the family sat down for our regular Sunday dinner.

“We need something new, something exciting,” I said.  “How about a meal may parents ate in the 1950s?”  The Fifties weren’t noted for fine dining experiences.  For most Americans it was a meat and potatoes era, and salad meant a chunk of iceberg lettuce covered in Russian dressing. 

Question for Mom

Do red, orange and yellow bell peppers taste any different? - Mary B.

When you eat them raw, red bell peppers are the sweetest.  But if you cook them, there is not much difference in taste, especially if they’re seasoned. In case you’re wondering, red bell peppers have the most vitamin C.  I avoid using green bell peppers because I find them hard to digest.

Brightly colored cooked bell peppers in their own juice remind me of sunny summer vacation days in France.

I Can Make That Too: Crab Salad Appetizer in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Crab Salad from Chez Fernand

I’m always looking for the easiest possible dish to put on the table.  It helps if the dish also looks appetizing and even better if it offers a hint of sophistication.  Ultimately, though, it has to taste good.  Beautiful pictures of beautiful food are delightful, but if the actual food is simply fodder--or worse--what’s the point?

I was surprised to find this Crab Salad Appetizer on the menu at a small restaurant called Chez Fernand on Paris’ Left Bank.  It was simple, attractively presented and, best of all, delicious.

I vowed to make it myself and came up with this very easy recipe.

If I Were Making Airline Food...

I would work hard to provide a decent breakfast, not one where sugar is the first or second ingredient in packaged "cakes" and yogurts.  It would be hard to make anything less appetizing than the breakfast I was served a few days ago on a non-stop flight to London.  Unfortunately my stomach was captive, and I had failed to bring any snacks.

Granted, the breakfast was free, even though we were flying economy.  But the airline just reported a $3.3 billion profit for the final quarter of 2015.  How about taking 1 percent of that to upgrade the meals?

Had I planned ahead, here's what I would have packed:

Spelling Appetizer Is Easier Than Spelling Hors d’oeuvre

Roasted Beets, Feta Cheese and Candied Walnuts with Mixed Greens (photo by Andy Mills)

I first heard the word ‘appetizer’ when I was a kid, helping my mother set up a card table in the living room.  We’d put out a pitcher of tomato juice and a plate of Ritz Crackers.  The red and gold color combo worked for me.  I felt very grown up with my glass of TJ and a cracker, waiting for dinner to be served.

My next encounter with appetizers came a few years later on New Year’s Eve.  My friend Lynne was visiting, and our task was making appetizers for my parents’ friends.  We used a gadget that looked like a miniature cookie press—a 2-inch-long metal tube with a plunger at one end.

Are You More Adventurous in the Kitchen Than a Chimpanzee?

Couldn't-Be-Easier Avocado Appetizer

According to a recent study involving scientists from Harvard and Yale, chimpanzees could cook if only they knew how to work a stove.  That gives me hope that everyone can make a meal if they try. 

I do have proof of this concept.  Many years ago Bart agreed to trade places with me for a week.  I would sit at the typewriter and compose wonderful stories while he would care for our two toddlers and cook.