Clockwise from top left: grilled artichoke, french fried artichokes, artichoke burrito, and artichoke pasta.
Over the weekend I attended the Artichoke Festival in Castroville, CA, the artichoke capital of the world. The festival celebrates both the bounty and deliciousness of artichokes. Who knew you could do so many things with them? Attending the festival was a great way to find some cooking inspiration, in addition to eating them!
In addition to the delicacies photographed above, I also tried an artichoke cupcake:
See the big pieces of artichoke in there? It's basically a spice cake, like a carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting, except instead of carrots, there are artichokes. I found it to be pretty sweet and moist. Not pictured but present at the festival were artichoke bread, artichoke pizza, artichoke tacos, and artichoke tamales.
Since they are in season right now, head for your nearest farmer's market (or greenmarket) and grab a bunch of them and get creative with them using any of the ideas above! A homemade burrito filled with sauteed artichokes and maybe some black beans, mushrooms and sliced bell peppers would make a quick and healthy weeknight supper. Or toss them in a pasta, bake them in a loaf of bread, or a cake. The possibilities are endless with this versatile vegetable. Even the Italians make a liqueur from artichokes called Cynar. It's pretty bitter and is an acquired taste, so be warned on that one.
Other artichoke recipes on The Kitchn:
Stuffed Artichokes
Warm Artichoke Salad with Pancetta and Sheep's Milk Cheese
How To Cook Artichokes in the Slow Cooker
How To Grill An Artichoke
One More Stuffed Artichoke
(Images: Kathryn Hill)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
is that a little packet of burger king ranch dressing with the french fried artichokes? hahaha yumm!
view missmarie's profile
yeah, I thought that was so odd, too!
view Kathryn Hill's profile
Aw I wish I had known about this or I definitely would've been there as well! Yum yum yum. My favorite way to eat artichoke is steamed and dipped in kewpie mayo.
view sarahlani's profile
Kathryn, I'm glad I was not the only one...I was feeling a little guilty for even knowing what that looks like!! LOL!!
view missmarie's profile
I miss the central coast. My family all lives right outside of Castroville. Deep fried artichoke hearts are the greatest food to ever come from the fryer. Seriously.
view spotonmeg's profile
My Mom was in Castroville recently and picked up a 2 big bags of artichokes for both of us. She made deep fried artichoke hearts a few days a go, and they were amazing! I have to think of what I'm going to do with mine now.
view Spycandy's profile
Just looking at that picture of the grilled artichoke with dip makes me so jealous! That's a festival I would certainly enjoy! Fried artichokes sound pretty tasty too.
view bobcatsteph3's profile
this is SO not fair! those fried fritter thingies as I sit here wondering what to have for breakfast...yes please.
I grew up in socal, and artichokes are one of the things I miss most. they're just not the same once they get to the midwest.
view splatgirl's profile
In the early 90's when I was stationed at Ft. Ord in Monterey I practically overdose on artichokes from nearby Castroville. I would have loved to attend this festival (still love artichokes of course), but the artichoke festival weekend coincides with the California strawberry festival in Oxnard, which due to distance is more enticing to attend. Next year I'll take photos of the event, and trade you strawberries for artichokes! (Thoughts of combining the two are racing through my head now!)
view snuff925's profile