Little things, amuse little minds..

tach18k

I was planning to have artichokes,rib-eye's and beef ribs for dinner tonight. Well my 13 year old daughter had some male friends over to watch scary movies. Ended up they got the ribs. Now those boys were sure impressed. One mentioned he wish his dad could cook that well. The artichokes were first time for them also. The gleam in their eyes when they tasted one of those artichoke hearts diped in a mayo/mustard sauce. Ear to ear grin. ) Well the wife will have to settle for a rib-eye, rice-a-roni and cleaning the dishes.[p]Have a safe weekend all!

Unknown

tach18k,[p]mmmmmmm Artichokes and beef ribs sounds great! I recently bought a couple of racks of beef ribs and was trying to think of what would be good to go with them. Artichokes are the perfect finger-food vegetable to go with ribs (and maybe a few seasoned fries). Just set a small dish of melted lemon-butter, a roll of paper towels, and a garbage bowl next to each plate and have at it! [p]Good meal for teens, and thanks for the idea.[p]Lee

QBabe

tach18k,[p]How'd you do the artichokes. They look pretty tough to get and I've never cooked one in my life. Can you give us some details on how to prep and cook them? I love the marinated ones that come in the jars and I'd bet fresh ones would be even better...[p]Thanks,
Tonia
:~)

Unknown

QBabe,[p]You can steam them, stuff and bake them, or boil them. You can serve them cold with a vinaigrette, or hot with a dipping sauce. You can bother to clip the tips of the leaves for restaurant presentation - I don't.[p]Here's how I do it:[p]Cut stem off the artichokes so they will stand up right in a pan and cut off of the very top of the artichokes to remove most of the spines at the top of the leaves. Rinse thoroughly and place upright, side-by-side in the bottom of a large sauce-pan or on a steamer basket. Add about 1 inch of water. Cover and simmer artichokes for about 30 minutes (amount of time depends on the size of the artichokes) until the middle is soft when pierced with a fork, and the outer leaves are easy to pull off. Add more water if necessary to keep them from burning as you are simmering or steaming the artichokes. [p]When cooked, remove artichokes with tongs, turn each one upside down to drain. Set each one in it's own bowl - one per person. [p]In custard cups, one per person, nuke 1/4 stick of butter, one smashed garlic clove and a squeeze of lemon. Provide another empty small bowl for each person, for discarded leaves.[p]To eat an artichoke, pull off a leaf, dip it in the melted lemon-butter, then scrape the meaty part of the leaf off with your teeth. As you peel off leaves you will eventually get to the a fuzzy "choke" on the inside which needs to be scraped out with a spoon and discarded. The reward for all this effort is the tender heart that sits underneath the leaves and the choke. Dip, eat and enjoy! [p]Lee

QBabe

QSis,[p]Thanks, Lee...sounds like something new to try![p]Tonia
:~)

tach18k

QBabe,
Oh this is easy, cut the top 1/2 inch or so off the top. then rinse with water and place in a bowl, I did four softball sized, the cover with plastic wrap, mico for 17 minutes, perfect!

bbqbeth

QBabe,
Stuff 'em!
a real treat!
Happy Easter!