Artichokes–Cooking

Place the artichoke whole — spikes and all, stems intact — right into the boiling water and let her shed all her thorns of her own free will: They will soften and fall off and settle at the bottom of the pot, rendering each leaf defanged and now painless to grasp with your fingers. And let’s accept that she is going to be drab. Let’s not whiten her teeth. No need to acidulate the water or put lemons or baking soda in the boil to alkalize. Just leave her be. When cooked exactly to doneness, the thicket of choke protecting the innermost heart can be pried away with nothing sharper than your gentle thumb. If it resists, you can be sure it’s your fault; you have undercooked it. Dress with simple eggy mayonnaise.