The Artichoke is hands down my vegetable of choice.  Not in the culinary sense, I mean I’m quite partial to a grilled antipasto offering and even find tearing leaves from a whole flower, dipped in olive oil quite fun, but I’m certainly not a devotee of the flavour.  I’ve bought artichokes many times before but they have never actually made it to the plate, they are instead bestowed pride of place as the table centre piece or sitting proudly on the kitchen bench in a clay pot or basket.  For me, the incredible appeal of this strong, opinionated veg is its aesthetic presentation.   Maybe it’s the textural repetition or the earthy robustness or simply the fact that I’m transported to an idyllic Tuscan kitchen resplendent with aproned mama and ripe tomatoes. SMc

For more artichoke addiction visit our pinterest board The Artichoke and the Pineapple