An ingredient that took me years to appreciate, and i’m still learning to like it. I can’t say that i’ve ever prepared a dish with fresh artichoke, I normally resort to buying the bottled artichoke hearts (and they are delicious!). There are many ways to get health benefits from this green leafy vegetable. While most people would probably guess that the goodness lies in the heart, most of the health benefits stem from the leaves.
For instance, it’s good for the liver, studies have even found they may even regenerate liver tissue. Artichokes have long been used in folk and alternative medicine as a treatment for liver ailments and the scientific studies are now proving them to be correct. One large artichoke contains a quarter of the recommended daily intake of fiber. A medium artichoke has more fiber than a cup of prunes. Artichoke leaves have been shown to reduce cholesterol by raising good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL). If worrying about your cholesterol isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll be happy to hear that it’s also used as a hangover treatment, as it helps cleanse your liver.
When you’re ready to pick an artichoke look for a heavy and firm consistently green product. The leaves should look uniform and not wilted. Cooking an artichoke (and no, I don’t mean just opening the jar) can be tricky, but there are tips and tricks you can follow.
Here are the recipes we’ll be testing out this week!
- Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust (The Wednesday Chef)
- Roasted Artichokes and Prosciutto (Food & Wine)
Have you mastered some artichoke recipes? We want to hear about them as we build our recipe box of go-to recipes! Share them in the comments below.
