Baby Artichokes In Olive Oil

Globe artichokes which originated in southern Europe, the first being in Naples Italy, then around the rest of the Mediterranean, is a perennial. It has silvery, green leaves and it develops a large purple flower head, from an edible bud. The edible bud is on the lower portion of the plant, which is called the heart. The center of the bud is called the "choke" and it's also the part we eat.
Today the main producers of artichokes are Italy, Spain, France and the United States. We here in the U.S. get most of our artichokes from California.
Since I'm Italian, artichokes were always a main part of my diet. My mother made some scrumptious artichoke recipes. One of my favorites, which I have listed below was her "baby artichokes in olive oil."

Ingredients;
1 package of baby artichokes

2/3 cups of water

1/4 cup olive oil

4 lg cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbs parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and remove the green petals off each artichoke, until only the yellow petals are left. Cut the stem of the artichoke just below it's base. Cut 1/3 off the top of the choke. After finishing each one place them in a bowl of water with 1 Tbs of lemon juice added to it, to prevent them from browning. When completed, drain them out of the lemon water and add the rest of the ingredients to a medium sauce pan, including 2/3 cup of water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium. cook for about 40 to 45 minutes or until they are very soft when poking them with a fork. To avoid the artichokes from breaking apart, do not stir them during the cooking process.

After they have become soft, pour the artichokes along with the juices into a medium bowl and serve. This vegetable recipe pairs nicely with spaghetti and a fresh loaf of Italian bread. Enjoy!