never heard of rapine...

__________________
kims SECOND journal is HERE
kims new blog
KIMS BLOG !!
SUGARFREE BLOG

It is called broccoli rabi in the US. Biggest grower is Andy Boy and they have a website www.andyboy.com

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

God Kim, do you like EVERYTHING I hate??? Beets??? YUCK!

OMG from the Catalyst to Saratoga in 18 minutes????? How in the WORLD did you do that????? When did your mom work at Dominican? That's where I was born, and I spent a lot of time there in the early 80's. Small world! I LOVE artichokes! You can't find decent artichokes out here - you're better off sticking with canned hearts. Of course, you can't beat The Giant Artichoke in Castroville, and the deep fried artichoke hearts. . . . oh, yum!!

__________________
Eddie
President and Founder of the Intergalactic Order of Brussels Sprouts Haters

Oh, Andyboy - I went to school with the Andy of "Andyboy" fame! His Dad was a big grower then, and now Andy himself is the guy. Yup, grew up in the "salad capital of the world" or whatever it is they still call the Salinas Valley.

You Santa Cruz kids should've come down to visit me in Monterey! LOL! Although I do admit to spending some time at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

The "Artichoke Capitol of the World" is Castroville, right up the road about 15 minutes from me. Did ya know that Marilyn Monroe was crowned Artichoke Festival Queen way back when? I think that was before she even used the MM name -

Back to veggies, artichokes are a BIG fave of ours! They grow in about the same conditions as Brussels sprouts. They like the cool coastal weather and the foggy summers.

Veggies are good eats!

Char

__________________
Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

no ed.. i DONT love everything you hate... i DONT like pointy heels *L*

okay.. give it up yall... if i find an artichoke.. what do i do with it .. fried? how and for how long?
steamed? what to dip?
broiled?
baked?

help me out here!

__________________
kims SECOND journal is HERE
kims new blog
KIMS BLOG !!
SUGARFREE BLOG

Char, it's amazing to drive down the highway and see chokes growing as far as the eye can see. What about Gilroy, the garlic capitol? Saw this on the way down to Monterey a few years ago. The fruit in California is tree ripened, not crate or gas ripened like we most often find in the midwest. To die for I tell ya!

__________________
Ozzie's Place

Libby, that was an interesting site!!! Thanks for educating me on Rapine!!! I don't know if I've ever seen it here, but then again, I haven't looked for it either. I'll keep an eye out and give it a try. Looks like a cross between spinach and broccoli.

Kim, I LOVE the canned artichokes and dip.

What you do with a fresh artichoke: Wash it by holding the stem end and dunking it upside down in a bowl of water with an up and down action. Cut stem off with scissors. Trim off about a 1/4 of the tough outer leaves. (yank em' right off) Dip the stem end in lemon juice to preserve color (if you care). Place them top-side down in a steamer and steam for about 45 mins. Serve with melted butter, mayo, Hollandaise, Bechamel (no-no) Sauce, or a vinaigrette sauce. (Source: Joy of Cooking) THEN, you are going to keep peeling the tough outer leaves until you reach the heart. There will be a fuzzy covering over the heart. You want to cut that off. (As you get to the inner leaves, you can dip those in butter and draw them through your teeth. The back side of the leaf will be tough and fibrous, so you don't want to eat them. You'll end up looking like a cow chewing its cud. LOLOL) The prized part of the artichoke it the heart. They are a LOT of work just for that little prize in the middle. But they ARE yummy. (I think I like the butter part the best myself!!!! )

Actually, I find the canned ones MUCH easier to deal with. The hardest part of that is getting the jar open!!!!

__________________

Okay, you guys have convinced me. I never tried brussel sprouts but wanna give it a go. Have never had artichokes or avocados either but lets take it one thing at a time! LOL (I think I have led a vegetably sheltered life! LOL)

__________________
Started Atkins-1/2/04
174 lbs at heaviest



5'0 154/136.5/130

Barb if you can't find broccoli rabe at your usual grocer, check some of the ethnic markets. I know for sure that Michael's in Naperville carries it. But I just know how you "love" to drive to Naperville. Now is one of the best times of the year to find it.

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

I've spent time in Monterey and the area. As a matter of fact, my prom date and I ate at a restaurant in Carmel (don't remember the name of it but it was ritzy - too long ago!). And I still like to hit the 17 mile drive when I'm in the area.

Yes, I knew about MM being queen. She was actually the first queen!

Gilroy is another favorite place. If you love garlic, all you have to do is drive through Gilroy with your windows down, and you're in heaven!

Santa Cruz used to have a Brussels Sprouts festival - don't know if they still do or not. BS cooked all different ways, even BS ice cream - blech!!

__________________
Eddie
President and Founder of the Intergalactic Order of Brussels Sprouts Haters

Ah, yes, nice memories of that California trip. Still think about the $8 bucks it costs to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. We went to Monterey and stayed in a beach house, Heaven! I so love Cannery Row and the aquarium. Char, you're so lucky!

Eddie, I'll have to agree with ya on the brussel sprout ice cream.

__________________
Ozzie's Place

Hmmm, don't know if there is still a BS festival in Santa Cruz - will have to check that out!

Susan, we are charter members of the Aquarium. This is the time of year "for locals" because we can get in and out of there relatively easily and actually get up TO each window to see the occupants! LOL! Their Portola Cafe is a favorite place for us to have lunch. The tables look out on the Bay and they provide you with binoculars. We've seen whales breach and sea otters at play while enjoying a delightful lunch - my fave there is the Cobb Salad. SOOOO very good.

I do artichokes in a very different fashion. First you want to buy the ones that are pointy, not the very round ones -they have next to nothing on them and the hearts are small. Buy a choke whose stem is still somewhat sticky, and the leaves fairly closed, indicating freshness. If the stem is browning on the end and no longer sticky, it's past its prime!

I wash them like Barb says, but I then use a serrated knife and holding the stem, I cut off straight across the pointy top, eliminating a bunch of the thorns - then I cut the stem off flush with the bottom.

I put them bottom down in a pan large enough to just hold however many you are cooking, and fill with water to about halfway up the chokes. Then I drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the cut tops and a little in the water; next goes about a tablespoon each of balsamic and red wine vinegars and a squeeze of fresh lemon into the water, followed by a couple garlic cloves, some whole peppercorns, and some crushed dried basil. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer til tender, it will depend on the age and season and the size of the artichoke. Smallish to medium ones usually take 15 to 25 minutes; large ones can be 30 to 40 minutes or more. I test them by turning one over and inserting the tines of a roasting fork or a long pick into the center - if it pierces through easily, it's done. If not, it needs to cook a little more! Nothing worse than an undercooked artichoke!

When done, I roll each one around a bit in the water to coat with oil, then drain upside down on a rimmed plate; we prefer ours either room temp or chilled.

My favorite accompaniment is Best Foods mayo mixed with a little LC ketchup - kind of an island-less Thousand Island! DH prefers melted butter with a little fresh lemon juice. Garlic aioli is also killer good!

Take off and discard the small bottom row or two of leaves, then start pulling one leaf at a time, insert the meaty end between your teeth and pull off the tender inner side of the leaf from about 1/3 the way up. The further in towards the heart you get, the more of the leaf you can eat.

When you get down to the flimsy inner leaves, I pull them off all at once, remove the spiny leaves in the very middle, dunk and just bite off the bottom 1/3 or so.

Now to deal with the heart! Pull off the remaining little leaves, which will then expose the thistle (if left on the stem, this becomes a beautiful purple flour!) - the easiest way to deal with it is to take a teaspoon, and starting at an outer edge, use the pointy part of the spoon to go all around, loosening the thistle part (called the "choke") and discard. Now you should be left with a slightly concave circular hunk of deliciousness! Cut into quarters, dunk or not, and enjoy.

There, you now have your artichoke primer!

It SOUNDS like a lot of work but if you like them, then it's all worth it!

Char

__________________
Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

Wonderful artichoke primer, Char! The only things I do differently (since that's how my mom taught me, LOL!) is that they are cooked in a small amount of water, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. No dipping sauce involved, other than the leftover cooking liquid. Now, I cook them in the microwave in a pyrex bowl with a lid. Two biggies are done in about 15 minutes. High wattage.

The eating procedure is the same.

__________________

Great lesson Char. Nice that you took time to share your knowledge. I really want to cook a couple of fresh ones.

I have a great idea for a meal you could linger over forever...

Crab legs and fresh artichokes! Might take you a weekend to eat it!

__________________
Ozzie's Place

Throw in a lemon and a small lake of melted butter, and I'm in heaven!!

__________________
Trina

Vice-President of the Intergalactic Order of Brussels Sprouts Haters

[font='Times New Roman', Times, Serif, serif][/font]