Steamed Artichokes

Steamed artichokes are really easy to make, taste very good and make a great appetizer.  If you have never eaten a fresh steamed artichoke, you remove one petal at a time and eat the fleshy portion at the bottom, then discard the remainder of the petal. The flavor of the artichoke flesh is great on its own, but is also very good dipped in a little bit of melted butter (if you want to have more of a splurge - which we did last night!).  This is a really nice appetizer if you have company, and is very good with a nice glass of wine.  My husband made these artichokes last night and we munched on them while making a home-made pizza and sipping on some read wine.

Steamed Artichokes

Ingredients

2 fresh whole organic artichokes

Water for steaming

Directions

1. Remove stems with a knife and cut off tops of artichokes, just enough so that they will stand in pan.

2. Fill bottom of medium-sized sauce pan with about 1/4 inch of water, just enough to create steam.  Bring water to a simmer and place artichokes in pan, stem side up. Cover and steam for 10-12 minutes, or until you can easily insert a knife into the fleshy portion of the artichoke.

3. Serve with melted butter.

What are the nutritional benefits of artichokes? Artichokes are a good source of fiber and vitamins C, K and folate. They are all packed with antioxidants, ranking number 7 on the USDA's list of the top 20 best sources of antioxidants.