Easy and Delicious Sautéed Baby Artichokes

The first time I tried making baby artichokes was three or four decades ago. It was a disaster. The end result was they were too tough to eat. Recently I had a plate of baby artichokes at a restaurant and was inspired to try again. The good news is I cracked the code. Spring is baby artichoke season, so if you are lucky enough to find them in your grocery store or farmer's market, grab a couple pounds and be prepared to be amazed.

Faster and Easier than Adult Artichokes

Now that I know how to prepare baby artichokes, I could argue that they are easier to cook than adult artichokes. Why? Because they are less woody and their chokes have not developed. Thus you can eat the whole artichoke. Baby artichokes also cook a lot faster than adult artichokes. Baby artichokes cook in about 12 minutes, compared to adult artichokes that take about an hour.

The Trick is to Aggressively Trim Baby Artichoke Leaves

You trim back most of the artichoke leaving just the tender leaves. Start by cutting off the top third of the baby artichoke -- the pointy end.

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Then remove all of the harder, thicker leaves on the outside of the artichoke. Get rid of anything dark green and leave only the thinner light green leaves. When you look down on the cut and trimmed artichoke you should see no thick green leaves in the outer edge. The artichoke pictured in the above two photos has a few more leaves that should be removed. Trim the bottom of the artichoke. Finish by slicing the trimmed artichoke in half from stem to stern. Examine the inside of the artichoke. Typically the fuzzy choke will not have yet developed in a baby artichoke. If there are the beginnings of a fuzzy choke, you can easily remove it with a spoon.

I like to use a serrated grapefruit spoon. to remove any choke.

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Toss Each Trimmed Baby Artichoke in an Olive Oil and Lemon Marinade

I learned this trick as well as the general method of cooking baby artichokes from Dani Spies at Clean and Delicious. Thank you Dani! Fully trim each artichoke one by one and immediately dunk each trimmed artichoke into a bowl of olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic and herbs. It is important to bathe each artichoke in the olive oil/lemon mixture as soon as it is trimmed, otherwise it will quickly oxidize and turn brown. You still may get a little discoloration, but it will not effect the taste or nutritional value. Baby artichokes tend to oxidize much faster than adult artichokes. Alternatively, you can trim the baby artichokes and put them in lemon water, then drain them before cooking. This method can be done in advance of cooking them. Personally, I like to put them straight in the lemon-olive oil mixture because it saves a step.

Sautéeing the Baby Artichokes

Once all the artichokes are trimmed and dunked in the olive oil and lemon mixture, turn the whole bowl of artichokes and lemon-olive oil mixture into a medium-hot sautée pan. Flip all the artichoke halves cut-side down. Cook until the artichokes begin to pick up a little color, 3 - 5 minutes. Add a quarter cup of water, cover and cook until the water is almost evaporated, another 2 - 3 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Add another quarter cup of water, cover, and cook until tender, another 2 - 3 minutes. I remove one artichoke and take a bite to insure they are cooked through and tender. If not, add more water, cover and steam a few more minutes.

Plating and Garnishing

I like to serve these artichokes on a platter of fresh spinach or arugula. Turn the cooked artichokes out onto the spinach or arugula-covered platter. Grate some good parmesan cheese over the top while the artichokes are still warm. Drizzle with a good finishing olive oil and season with some flakey salt, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh ground pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

Another Artichoke Recipe

Grilled Artichokes

These adult grilled artichokes are steamed until almost done, marinated with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and then finished on the grill. They are so delicious no dipping sauce is required. Print