Preparing and cooking fresh artichokes (or carciofi in Italian) was a skill I was not very familiar with until I came to Italy.  I love all things flavored with artichokes, but was accustomed to using artichoke hearts or bottoms already under oil or packed in water from the grocery store.  When I arrived in Italy in early April, artichokes were at the peak of their season—crates of both large and of baby artichokes filled produce stands and were always on the menu for dinner at our cooking school.

I wanted to share with you the easy preparation method I learned in my Italian cooking class for Artichokes Steamed in White Wine with Lemon.  You can either use whole baby artichokes for this recipe or larger artichokes sliced thinly, as the recipe dictates.  For a heartier first course, steam the artichokes with cubed Yukon gold potatoes as well.  Either way, serve these delightful steamed artichokes with your favorite crusty bread so that you catch all of their lemony juices.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue blog post title above)

Tagged: artichokes, culinary school, externship, garlic, Italy, lemon, Mami Camilla cooking school, Sorrento, steamed vegetables, white wine