The Art of Cooking and Eating Artichoke

Every once in awhile, I find my diet BORING!

After I get over myself, I remember that when this happens it’s MY FAULT.

Yep that’s right, just because I’m too lazy to open one of a half-dozen cookbooks or push my cooking comfort zone doesn’t give me the right to proclaim SCD restrictive and boring.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is really not restrictive (another SCD myth), there are hundreds of foods allowed on SCD and when combined can create hundreds of thousands of combinations. Usually, the limiting factor is one’s experience or comfort level in the kitchen.

Guided by a reader of our book and a bit of Googling, I decided to take on the prickly artichoke. Prior to this, I had never had a real artichoke (cooked from scratch) that I’m aware of. At first, when Nia started telling me how to do it, I was thoroughly confused and all the steps seemed really taxing.

However, once I got started it was much easier than I expected (as are most new actions in the kitchen).

I must say they tasted great, and once I started salting and putting butter on them even better! I think in the future they will make great appetizers (thinking date nights, dinner parties and family functions.)

How to Cook an Artichoke

Step 1: Choose a method of cooking, boiling, baking, steaming? I choose boiling, if you do to, get a pot out and start heating some water to a boil.

Step 2: Clean your artichokes, by rinsing them under water and scrubbing the outsides if you have a brush.

Step 3: Chop off the top 1/2″ of the artichokes and just a small part of the stem which is an extension of the heart (totally edible). Or if you’re stuffing and preparing them like Nia’s pictures cut the stem completely off.

Step 4: Season the artichokes if you want, or do as I did and just put them into your boiling water (PRO TIP: put lemon juice on the freshly cut tops to keep the yellow coloring)

Step 5: Find a small lid or plate that can be used to hold the artichokes in the boiling water

Step 6: Boil for 30 minutes, a knife should easily slip through the stem area when they are done.

How to Eat an Artichoke

Step 1: It’s about to get messy as you dig into your freshly cooked artichoke! So, get a bowl or small plate ready for all the discards.

Step 2: Start by peeling the leaves off and eating them, its a special technique that takes a few leaves to get, but totally worth it. Grab the leaf at the pointy end with your thumb and forefinger, and then using your teeth scrape the lower half into your mouth (getting all the meat)
Step 3: Keep scraping leaves for meat until you reach the inner layers that don’t really have much meat or don’t scrape well. Remove all the leaves until you’re left with a cone looking thing. Remove it.
Step 4: Now, you will see a bunch of hairy looking things. You’re almost to the heart, don’t give up now. Using a spoon, knife or your fingers, peel the hairy area out and you’re left with the heart

Step 5: Eat your heart out!

Big Thanks to Nia, for providing me the encouragement and directions to get started! She also supplied the delicious looking stuffed artichoke pictures. To make yours sophisticated like hers, just drizzle with olive oil and then pack almond flour into the leaves before baking.

Did You Like this Article?

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive email notifications, some ways to find relief, and next steps.

man in green shirt

Steven Wright is a health engineer and author. In 2009, he reached a breaking point when IBS took over his life and the doctors didn't know how to help. Since then, he has transformed his health and started HealthyGut.com to help others naturally heal stomach problems. You can check out his story here and find him on Google+, Facebook or Twitter.