Name: Mediterranean Style Steamed Artichokes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 artichokes, (washed and trimmed); 1 Tablespoon Oregano, (dried); 1 Tablespoon Thyme, (dried); 2 teaspoons rosemary, (dried); 4 cloves garlic, (minced); 1 lemon, (juiced); 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons black pepper

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It’s artichoke season again, and I’ve already made these Mediterranean Style Steamed Artichokes twice.

Artichokes ready for steaming with lemon, Italian herbs, kosher salt and olive oil.

Ok, maybe it’s the Hollandaise Sauce that is the draw, but seriously, these have so much flavor, you really don’t even need the Hollandaise! A sprinkle of a good quality Balsamic vinegar goes really well with them. (This post was originally posted on May 21st 2012 with my blender hollandaise. I’ve republished, separating the two recipes.) This post contains affiliate links for you convenience.

Artichokes remind me of my teenage years. My dad would take my brother and me out every Friday night to the same restaurant, and we’d have exactly the same dinner, a spinach salad and steamed artichokes with Hollandaise. My dad would always “pay” me to clean his “heart” for him, by giving me half.

Artichokes are a great source of fiber

You can already guess that artichokes are a zero fat food, but did you know they are fiber rich? Think about it, you eat them by scraping the leaf off with your teeth! A large artichoke contains nearly 6 grams of fiber, folate, magnesium and vitamin c. (Nutritional info from the California Artichoke Advisory Board)

How to prepare artichokes

This method is one I learned in cooking school and is purely for aesthetics.

After washing the artichoke, slice the bottom of the stem off, and make a cross.

artichoke bottom — With a sharp knife, trim the stem and make a cross on the bottom of each artichoke.

With a sharp knife, cut the very top of the artichoke off. Next, with sharp kitchen shears, snip the top 1/4 of each leaf.

Trimmed artichoke heart — While you don’t have to, trimming the top quarter of each leaf makes for a nice presentation.

How to steam artichokes

There are various methods for preparing artichokes, but I prefer steaming. Yes, it takes about 45 minutes, but once you get them going, you can forget about them. After preparing each artichoke, separate the leaves as much as possible.

preparing an artichoke — Separate the leaves as much as possible to allow the herbs and seasonings to get down inside the artichoke.

This allows the herbs and seasonings to get down inside of the leaves. Place a simple steamer basket like this one, or a small metal trivet in a large pot filled with water just until touching the bottom of the basket.

Be generous with the seasonings. Try and get them down into the leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and cover pot. Steam artichokes for approximately 45 minutes, or until a leaf pulls away easily and is tender.

Serve artichokes with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or this easy One Minute Hollandaise Sauce.

Artichoke leaf dipped in hollandaise — Dip the bottom of each leaf into sauce or Balsamic vinegar and scrape the “meat” off with your teeth.

How to clean the artichoke heart

Eat or remove leaves until you reach the soft purple “thistle”. Pinch the thistle portion and pull.

No-fail Hollandaise in the blender. Perfect Hollandaise sauce in under 1 minute! @whatagirleats.com — Hollandaise Sauce

Most of the thistle should come up. Scrape or clean the heart of all the spiky bits. I like to use a grapefruit spoon with a serrated edge to do this. Trim the bottom and sides. Dip the artichoke in more Balsamic or Hollandaise sauce.

serrated grapefruit spoon to clean the heart of the artichoke. — Use a serrated grapefruit spoon to clean the heart.

Some of the items used in this post are available on my Amazon store for your convenience.