Once, many decades ago, we ate globe artichokes with hollandaise as a first course at a dinner party in Canada. Ever since then I have wanted to try that dish again, but we see them so rarely in Australia that by the time I am ready to buy them they have, again, disappeared from the shelves.
As the white asparagus stocks slowly begin to deplete in Bretagne, globe artichokes appear to be popping out all over.
We first noticed new fields of spiky root cuttings all in a soft grey green as we were driving by. We wondered what the crop was until we shortly found mature fields of richly rounded globe artichokes. If left unharvested these globe artichokes develop a purple flower making then look like a large scotch thistle -- which makes sense, since an artichoke is a variation on a thistle.
Salivating we bought some, took them home and trimmed the root stems, the tops and spiky outer leaves; then cooked them, slowly boiling in acidulated water.
We dipped the outer leaves in fresh buttery hollandaise, eating down to the choke. The feathery choke we removed with a spoon, then polished off the last bit of the delicious heart that was left.
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| Globe artichokes in Bretagne |
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| Trimming the artichoke |
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| Simmered slowly |
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| Simply delicious |
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