How to Clean Artichokes

Zia Graziella is the artichoke queen of the family. Having been raised in Sicily, where artichokes grow in abundance, she really knows how to clean and cook artichokes and use them into a variety of dishes. Here, we show you her method to clean an artichoke.

Ingredients:
4 artichokes
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup cold water
juice of 1 fresh lemon (do not use bottled)

Cleaning the artichokes:

1. Remove the first 2 rows of leaves closest to the stems.


2. Pull off a few more rows of leaves by pulling them towards you until you hear a snap at the natural breaking point.






3. When the leaves are too tender to snap anymore, cut the rest of the leaves with a knife (you can save the leaves to boil for use in another dish or to eat plain, if desired).










4. Cut the stem off and remove any of the hard leaves around the stem with a knife or potato peeler, and remove any of the hard leaves that are dark green.






5. Cut the artichoke heart into four pieces.






6. Remove the hair from each piece with a knife.


7. Place artichokes in a bowl with cold water and fresh lemon juice to help preserve their color as you work on cleaning the other ones.

Use the cleaned artichokes to make Marinated Artichoke Hearts or Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts.