Spring Cooking With Artichokes (12 Recipes!)

A young man's fancy may turn towards love in spring but mine turns toward artichokes!
They are one of my favorite ingredients in recipes but as far as I'm concerned, they are like the cheese and stand alone. Nothing can touch the hearty flavor of an artichoke! Lemon, Parmesan, garlic all just raise it up to a level of sublime enjoyment!

Spring is the best time to eat artichokes and usually they are the most affordable during this time as well. I encourage you to check out fresh ones if you have never. And don't be intimidated by them (remember that Little Rascals episode where Buckwheat peels the artichoke down to nothing?) because a long time ago I made a tutorial on how to clean and prep them! Just follow the steps and you'll be on your way to a lifelong love affair with the artichoke. Isn't it dreamy?

I have been pinning some gorgeous looking recipes with artichokes as the star ingredient lately. I thought I would share some that look particularly amazing. I have the bacon pasta one on my "must make" list for the next week...doesn't it look divine? I can just imagine any one of these dishes on my plate, a glass of icy white wine, and the children spending the night at Aunt Nicky's so I wouldn't have to hear, "Ew. Gross. What is that? Ew. I am not eating that. Ew, is that even a food?" And that's just from Jim! HA HA HA! kidding. or am I?

Okey Dokey Artichokey! Here we go!

Please pin from the original source, youse guys.

Running to the Kitchen

Crispy Lemon Roasted Baby Artichokes