Artichokes

Total time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour cooling time for the artichokes Servings: 4 Note: Adapted from Alain Passard's "The Art of Cooking with Vegetables" 4 medium artichokes with tightly packed leaves 12 large fresh (not dried) bay leaves 6 to 8 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 lime Fleur de sel or salt of your choice 1. Trim back the stocks of the artichokes, snip the outer edges of the leaves and trim the top. Cut the bay leaves in half lengthwise.

For many of us, our experience with vegetables centers on buying them at the grocery store or farmers market. And as fresh-from-the-field as those might be, they are already removed from branches, vines or roots and often trimmed of leaves, stems or flowers - in a way, disembodied. You might never know that the leaves of sweet potatoes are heart-shaped, or that carrots are umbellifers with glorious flowers. So where's the whole vegetable story? Deborah Madison's new book, “ Vegetable Literacy ,” helps fill us in. It's an in-depth taxonomy, a reference guide/cookbook and a window into the wonders of growing a garden, from seeds to flowers.

Using a pair of scissors, simply square off the tips of the outside leaves (this is optional). With a heavy knife, cut off the top third of the center leaves. Remove the stem (this should be the only time you do throw away that tasty extension of the heart). * Rub all cut surfaces with lemon juice. * Sit the artichokes upright in a steamer basket and place over boiling water. Cover and cook until a small, sharp knife slides easily into the base and the outer leaves pull away.

The Northern California town of Castroville calls itself the "artichoke capital of the world,” although that's really not true. Italy, particularly in the south, produces more artichokes -- the world's largest harvest, more than 10 times what is picked in California. But the plant with Mediterranean origins can thrive in Southern California, too. Artichokes have become fairly ubiquitous here because they are ornamental as well as edible. The plant's scrumptious immature flower buds can grow as big as a bocce ball.

When I was a college undergraduate, I used to pick up a few dollars by serving dinner at the home of a professor of international affairs. Since this professor was an activist as well as an academician, I was never surprised to find myself waiting on visiting heads of state. But I was often surprised--horrified--by what I was expected to serve to them. Plain boiled ham and instant rice seasoned with "flavor packets," for example.

Artichokes, delicious vegetables hiding under unsavory-looking leaves, have been hard to sell because many people don't know what to do with them. "People not only don't know how to eat them, they don't know what they are to begin with," says Pat Hopper, who manages the California Artichoke Advisory Board. Hopper hopes to reverse that lack of public knowledge and acceptance of artichokes despite a budget too small to permit large-scale generic advertising.

Like any crusading journalist, I never know where my investigation will lead. A while back I mentioned the questionable "Real Fact" on the inside of a Snapple bottle cap: "The city of Los Angeles has three times more automobiles than people." And I noted in passing that some other "facts" in the company's series had been in error, such as: "Broccoli is the only vegetable that is a flower." That statement was later amended to include the noble cauliflower.

Among the many casualties of El Nino is the annual Artichoke Festival in Castroville. For the first time since 1959, the event has been spiked. Well, postponed is more accurate, according to Mary Comfort, manager of the California Artichoke Advisory Board in Castroville, the capital of artichoke production. "It's traditionally held in September," she said, "but the [festival board] was in the process of moving it to springtime." The festival is now scheduled for mid-May 1999.

This week's SOS request comes from Jana Nash in Mesa, Ariz.: "Is there any way I could get the recipe for the wonderful vegetable lasagna from Cafe Roka in Bisbee, Ariz.? It's the best.... " With layers packed with fresh spinach, portobello mushrooms, artichokes and gooey mozzarella, there's no shortage of creamy richness in this lasagna from Café Roka (and your guests might never guess it's vegetarian). Assemble the lasagna ahead of time if you wish, then bake before serving; it makes a perfect dinner whether you're planning for company or a simple family dinner.

For a spectacular beginning to Easter dinner, stuff cooked artichokes with avocado and shrimp. Crown each serving with cocktail sauce and parsley, then pass additional cocktail sauce for dipping the artichoke leaves. Shrimp Cocktail in Artichokes also makes an ideal luncheon entree when accompanied with hot muffins or rolls, a selection of cheese and chilled white wine. The main dish components may be prepared well in advance, then quickly assembled just before serving.

Artichokes are available pretty much all year round these days, but there are two separate peaks for production, and we're in the middle of the first one right now. That's because all four of the primary varieties are being harvested. For years, the only artichokes grown commercially were the big Green Globes that are planted around Castroville, Calif., just north of Monterey. Within the last five or so years, other varieties have been successfully planted in areas as varied as Lompoc and the Imperial Valley.

Saturday's California Cook column about different ways to cook artichokes drew a lot of reader response. Everyone, it seems, loves artichokes. Well, not everyone, or at least not all artichokes. A couple of readers complained about getting artichokes that looked and tasted different than the ones they had been getting. “What used to be tender and delicious is now tough and flavorless, or worse -- outer leaves with no meat, hearts that never get tender until they are waterlogged and just bad tasting,” wrote Curtis Horton. “Also the heart is thin, instead of meaty.  It adds up to very little food and a ton of waste.” I took the complaints to Kori Tuggle, who works for Ocean Mist , the growers cooperative that accounts for most of the artichokes grown in the United States.

Trimming artichokes can be a long, painful process, but it doesn't have to be. Here's how I learned to do it many years ago from a friend who had been a line cook at Commanders Palace in New Orleans, where they go through thousands of hearts every brunch. 1. Fill a bowl with cool water and add the juice of 1 lemon. Hold an artichoke in one hand with the stem facing toward you and the tip facing away. Slowly turn the artichoke against the sharp edge of a knife while making an abbreviated sawing motion, cutting the outer leaves at the base.

Artichoke and farro salad Total time: About 1 hour Servings: 4 to 6 1 1/2 cups farro 4 1/2 cups water Salt 3 tablespoons minced red onion 1/4 cup fruity olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice 4 medium artichokes, trimmed to hearts and stored in acidulated water 1/4 cup lightly packed parsley leaves Parmigiano-Reggiano 1. Toast the farro in a dry medium saucepan over medium heat until it...

  Total time: 50 minutes Servings: 4 to 6 1 pound new potatoes 2 strips thick bacon, cut into ½-inch crosswise strips 1 tablespoon minced shallots 4 medium artichokes, trimmed to hearts and stems, quartered lengthwise and stored in acidulated water 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup cream Salt 2 tablespoons minced chives 1. Steam the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes, and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into quarters or bite-sized pieces.

I was giving one of my periodic talks at local libraries the other day, and someone asked if I knew a good way to prepare artichokes. It stopped me cold. "A" good way? Only one? Which one? Do you want artichokes by themselves? Do you want artichokes as an ingredient? Do you want them cooked or do you want them raw? Too many choices. Despite the fact that they look so unquestionably inedible, there is no shortage of ways to cook artichokes. In fact, just talking about them for a couple of minutes got me so hungry I went home and prepared an all-artichoke dinner.

For many of us, our experience with vegetables centers on buying them at the grocery store or farmers market. And as fresh-from-the-field as those might be, they are already removed from branches, vines or roots and often trimmed of leaves, stems or flowers - in a way, disembodied. You might never know that the leaves of sweet potatoes are heart-shaped, or that carrots are umbellifers with glorious flowers. So where's the whole vegetable story? Deborah Madison's new book, “ Vegetable Literacy ,” helps fill us in. It's an in-depth taxonomy, a reference guide/cookbook and a window into the wonders of growing a garden, from seeds to flowers.

Riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of angry farmers pelting a government building in Brittany with artichokes in a protest over low prices, police said today. The protest in the town of Morlaix on Wednesday night was prompted by a hot-weather glut of artichokes and a slump in prices. The demonstration broke up with nobody hurt.

I love this picture of Puglian chef Silvestro Silvestori trimming artichokes because it so nicely illustrates the kind of zen calm the activity induces - and the almost unbelievable amount of waste. I don't think I've ever cleaned a batch of artichokes without pausing for a moment to wonder how somebody somewhere discovered that these were good to eat. Actually, it's even weirder than that, because artichokes are a domesticated version of cardoon - meaning that some unknown farmer probably had to work for years to develop spiky flowerheads that were that size.

Whitney Flood is chef and proprietor of new Culver City restaurant Muddy Leek. After working in restaurants in New York and Big Sur, he and his wife, Julie Retzlaff, started Bon Mélange Catering in Los Angeles -- known for its farm-to-table focus and Flood's affinity for unusual pairings and game meats -- for events including weddings and underground pop-up dinners. Now the two together run Muddy Leek, the name an ode to the seasonal ingredients on their market-driven menu. What's coming up next on your menu?