. . . with a globe artichoke & fresh garlic, now that sounds like a good night! My very first post a couple of years ago was to highlight fresh artichokes and my recipe for steaming them. It has been a long time since, so I felt the chokes deserved a comeback. Not to mention they are one of my favorite vegetables ever. These leafy spheres are just as healthy as they are delicious. They lend a hearty (pun intended) component to pastas, salads, pizzas, dips, you name it! Though I add them to many meals, I love them best steamed with fresh garlic & lemon. I eat them as a meal sometimes, or as a side with pasta. They go perfectly with a glass of dry rosé or a buttery CA Chardonnay, add my parm garlic butter mix for dipping—taste bud perfection!
I’m going to touch back on the recipe for these since spring & summer are perfect times to buy fresh artichokes. You won’t want to miss out! We know they are are crave-worthy, but they do offer us some benefits aside from butter dipping.
The globe artichoke—Cynara scolymus—is a low calorie, low-fat, vegetable packed with vitamins, and body-boosting benefits. Here’s what our medium-size choke has to offer:
- Good source of fiber (6.5 g), protein (4g), and iron (1.55 mg).
- Good source of magnesium (72 mg), folate (61 µg), and potassium, which all benefit muscle function & heart health.
- Globe artichokes are known for their support of liver health, because they contain an acid compound known as cynarin, which is found within the leaves & promotes liver bile production. In turn, this breaks down fatty foods & is said to lower cholesterol.
- Not only a boost for your liver, artichokes are a known antioxidant and possess: 12 mg of Vitamin C, 3,5 dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5 dicaffeoylquinic acid, which demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties.
- Last, but certainly not least—a medium choke has only 60 calories & less than 1 gram of fat.
Don’t mind if I do! Here’s how we did. . . .

- One large artichoke,
- Sea salt & black pepper (to taste),
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 smashed garlic cloves (to put in steaming pot)
- 3 chopped garlic colves (to push in between choke leaves)
- 1 lemon, quartered (2 to squeeze over choke in pot & leave lemon rinds in pot to steam),
- 1/4 cup white wine (pour atop choke during steaming).
- 3 cups water (for steaming)
- ½ stick butter (soften to room temperature)
- 1 T parm cheese mix, shredded
- 2 garlic cloves chopped (will use from steaming pot above)
- Squeeze of lemon
- Prep artichoke by trimming stem and clipping ends of leaves with kitchen shears.
- Pull back leaves to allow room for stuffing about 2 cloves of chopped garlic, salt & pepper.
- Place artichoke in pot on steamer basket if available.
- Squeeze 2 lemon wedges & the red wine vinegar over choke.
- Steam artichoke on medium, in large pot with lid, with few cups of water, then adding: white wine, lemon rinds from 2 you squeezed, and 2 additional smashed garlic cloves.
- Steam 1-1.5 hours, or until tender and leaves pull-away easily.
- In small bowl, add butter, shredded parm, lemon, and the chopped cloves of the steamed garlic cloves from artichoke pot (they'll be soft and mild).
- mix together.
- To warm butter mix, I place the small butter bowl into idle steaming pot turned off, with lid to melt.
- Otherwise, you can heat butter mix over stove or in microwave briefly.
- Enjoy artichoke leaves warm with melted butter mixture for dipping, and with a lemon wedge.
- Once leaves are eaten, clean leaves and silk off top of heart, and dip into butter mix; it's the best part!
The butter dip clenches it, and using the cooked garlic from the steaming pot, we add a subtle flavor that perfectly compliments the lemon & parm. Tonight I had one solo, but other times I like to pair them with fresh bruschetta for a light, Italian meal.
Get to your local farmer’s market for some fresh globe artichokes! Then get these babies into a steaming pot, for a prelude to an amazing dinner! I hope you make these a regular appearance in your kitchen, as I do in mine—Buon Appetito!
I love artichokes. I don’t think a lot of people I know really appreciate this veggie. They are really missing out. Also, your pictures looks gorgeous.
Thank you! I totally agree with you; it is funny how many people don’t eat these often, or aren’t sure who to cook them. They’re pretty easy luckily! I am hooked & glad they are in season again.