Method.—Wash the artichokes in several waters, cut off the stems, and, if necessary, trim the leaves. Put them into boiling water, add about 1 teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water, and if the water be hard, or the vegetable old, also add a piece of soda, the size of a Spanish nut. Keep the saucepan uncovered, and boil quickly from 25 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Drain well, and serve with Hollandaise, white, or other suitable sauce, or, if preferred, oiled butter.
Time.—From 25 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, from 3d. to 6d. each. Seasonable, from July to October.
Compositae, or Composite Plants.—This natural order is the most extensive and universally distributed of herbs and shrubs. The flowers are monopetalous, and from the form of its corolla are divided into three natural groups or sub-orders: Tubuliflorae, Labiatiflorae, and Liguliflorae; the last comprises plants belonging to this order, which grow in colder and temperate climates, and the former tropical and extra-tropical plants. Included among the Compositae are many familiar and useful plants, as the daisy, dandelion, aster, chicory, lettuce, artichoke, arnica, chamomile, etc.
1436.—ARTICHOKES, FRENCH METHOD OF COOKING. (Fr.—Artichauts aux Fines Herbes.)
Ingredients.—Globe artichokes, a small bunch of savoury herbs, salt, oiled butter.
Method.—Prepare the artichokes as directed in the preceding recipe. Place them in boiling water, add the herbs and a little salt, boil until tender, then drain well, and serve with oiled butter.
Time.—To cook the artichokes, 25 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, 3d. to 6d. each. Allow ½ a large artichoke or 1 small one to each person. Seasonable from July to October.
1437.—ARTICHOKES, FRIED. (Fr.—Artichauts Frits.)
Ingredients.—6 artichokes. For the batter: 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of milk, 1 tablespoonful of salad-oil, 1 egg, salt.
Method.—Trim and boil the artichokes as in the preceding recipe. When they are quite tender take them up, remove the fibrous internal part, called the "choke," and divide the bottoms into 3 or 4 pieces, according to size. Mix the flour, salt, salad-oil, milk and yolk of the egg smoothly together, and let it stand for a time. When ready to use, beat the white to a stiff froth, and stir it lightly into the batter. Have ready a deep pan of boiling fat, dip the pieces of artichoke into the batter, take them out on the point of a skewer, drop them into the fat, and fry light-brown. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve with white sauce.
Time.—25 to 30 minutes to boil the artichokes; 5 to 7 minutes to fry them. Average Cost, from 1s. 10d. to 3s. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable from July to October.
Constituent Properties of the Artichoke.—These are in 1,000 parts—starch, 30; albumen, 10; saccharine matter, 148; gum, 12; fixed oil, 1; woody fibre, 12; inorganic matter, 27; water 770. The constituents, however, vary with the different plants and the character of the soils in which they grow.
