Pressure Cooker Artichokes

Step 1

Remove any small leaves that are toward the bottom of the stem. They should pull off easily by hand.

Step 2

Slice the top 1-inch or so off the tops of each artichoke with a sharp kitchen knife or a serrated knife.

Step 3

Using scissors, work around the outside of the artichoke, trimming the sharp tips off of each outer leaf.

Step 4

Cut the base of the stem off so that the artichokes rest flat, bloom side up.

Step 5

Optionally, you can rub the tops of the artichokes down with 2 quarters of lemon wedges to help maintain the color of the artichokes. Regardless, they will darken a bit when cooked but the lemon will help them maintain more of their green color.

Step 6

Place the rack insert or steamer insert into the bowl of your electric pressure cooker so that the artichokes can sit above the water.

Step 7

Add water to the machine and then the artichokes on top of the rack in a single layer. It doesn’t matter if they are stem side up or down. Toss the two pieces of squeezed lemon into the pressure cooker if desired.

Step 8

Lock the lid to seal. Set to cook on high for 15 minutes. When finished, quick release the pressure.

Step 9

Serve warm with your choice of dipping sauce (see the post above for some ideas) and remaining lemon wedges. To eat, remove the outer leaves, dip them in sauce, and use your teeth to scrape the meaty ends off of the leaves.

Step 10

Once the large outer leaves have been removed (and the meat is eaten from them) you will get to the point where the leaves are very small, tender, and fairly meatless. You can easily remove these all at once be pinching the bunch and twisting them off in one motion.

Step 11

You’ll be left with the heart and the fuzzy choke. DO NOT EAT ANY PART OF THE CHOKE. You can remove this inedible part of the plant by scraping it out completely with a spoon or knife. Discard once removed. The remaining meat is known as the heart and is delicious.