Recipe for artichoke with lemon butter sauce

Artichokes are not only beautiful to look at, they are also healthy, delicious, and fun to eat. This French recipe comes from the cookbook Treat & Cheat, which I published together with Marie Portiek. It's an absolute favorite with our kids. The leaves are quickly peeled off and scraped clean with the teeth to get to the artichoke heart as quickly as possible. Saving the best for last!

Vegetarian starter, serves 4,

cooking time 30-45 minutes

Ingredients

4 artichokes

65 g salted butter

0.5 lemon, juiced

Preparation of artichokes

Wash the artichokes and place them in a large pan with plenty of water. Bring to the boil quickly. The artichokes are cooked when you can pierce the bottom with a fork or easily pull off a leaf. Remove the artichokes from the water and drain them upside down.

Preparation of sauce

Melt the butter and stir in the lemon juice.

How to eat

When eating, pull off the artichoke leaves one by one, dip the bottom in the sauce, and scrape off the flesh with your teeth. The thin inner leaves do not contain any flesh and can be discarded. You will then reach the so-called “choke,” which you must remove and cannot eat. Finally, cut away some of the hard stem and you are left with the very tasty artichoke heart.

Wine tip from Varna Wines in Eindhoven: Domaine Octavie Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, France