I'm back and overdosing on artichokes.

Back in Paris that is. After several months renovating and putting on weight at our home in Adelaide - we are now back in Paris where I can finally lose some weight!!! Impossible you say? Well, not really. I go up and down the stairs to our 3rd floor apartment several times a day (well at least once!) and walk everywhere. So it is possible.

What have I been eating since returning a month ago? Apart from great bread (the subject of a future entry), eating ARTICHOKES!! I don't think they're actually in season here at the moment but they are somewhere in the world! The ones I'm overindulging in are the little purple ones (known as artichaut or poivrade in French) that don't have a hairy choke which, by the way, I nearly died on in a restaurant in Helsinki last year. My artichoke inexperience (and the restaurant's it appears for leaving it in!) had me stuffing the choke in my eager gob along with the rest. If you've never eaten the hairy ole choke - don't try it! Anyway, back to my artichokes. I eat them 3 times a week as a starter - two per serve. Here's the best and simplest way of eating them - it surely is heaven. Don't forget the salt!
1. cut a lemon in half
2. squeeze half of it into a saucepan of cold water and drop in the squeezed half
3. cut off stalk of artichoke at base and snap off a few old tough leaves. cut about 2 cm off top.
4. rub cuts with other half cut lemon and drop artichokes in the acidulated the water -you will cook in this.
5. squeeze rest of lemon into pan and drop it in the pot. Add 1 tbspn salt.
6. bring to boil and simmer about 30 minutes
7. drain well and squeeze out some water.
8. serve with a squeez of lemon, salt, pepper and some butter melted with slices of fresh garlic (I also season the garlicky butter with salt and pepper) dip each leaf in the butter and scrape between your teeth. Once you get to where the leaves are soft enough to eat, dip the whole heart into the butter and eat. It is soooooooo good!!!! I hope you try it.