baby artichoke recipe « Putney Farm

Fried Baby Artichokes With Remoulade

More artichokes and deep-frying this week. But unlike our Rapini Fritto Misto, this recipe is as easy as deep-frying gets, and the results are one of the best ways you can enjoy artichokes. The only challenge is getting the baby artichokes.

Baby or “spring” artichokes are simply small artichokes that have yet to develop tough leaves or thorns and can be eaten (mostly) whole. You can find them at the farmers market early in the spring and fall growing seasons. The problem is that artichokes grow so quickly that sometimes our local farmer/supplier can’t pick enough of the baby artichokes to meet demand. And there is plenty of demand from chefs and home cooks (and the growers wisely keep some for themselves). So far we have detected a pattern that if it’s warm and sunny the artichokes will be bigger and we will miss out on the baby artichokes. If it is cold and rainy we seem to have better supply. But this is a small, local sample, so who knows?

Happily, last week we scored some absolutely beautiful baby artichokes that were no more than 2 inches in size. We normally cook the baby artichokes with potatoes. But this week we decided to try a recipe Carolyn saw on TV. Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa, again. But Ina and Alice Waters rarely let us down with their veggie recipes, so we decided to give this one a try. Continue reading →

Artichokes are one of our favorite vegetables at Putney Farm. Usually we eat large artichokes and artichoke hearts, but we recently discovered a special treat, young or “baby” artichokes. These are the first artichokes of the year and are still very small, about 2 inches long or less, and quite tender. So small and tender that you an eat most of the outer leaves, and you do not need to remove the inner “choke”. After some trimming, you can eat these artichokes whole.

When and where can you get baby artichokes? Artichokes have two seasons, spring and fall, and you may be able to find these small beauties early in each season. As for where, we would suggest a farmers market, probably in California. Central California’s Monterey County (Castroville, to be exact) is the epicenter of US artichoke farming, almost all commercial artichoke farming takes place in this area. Most baby artichokes are likely to stay in this area, as farmers and locals like to keep them to themselves. However, artichokes are highly prized by chefs worldwide, so it is worth seeing if you have a small local producer at your farmers market. And if you can find them, with their tender texture and earthy flavor, baby artichokes are worth seeking out. Continue reading →

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Fried Baby Artichokes

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