In the early 1990s, Americans spent annually twice as much on cut flowers as on overseas Protestant ministries, twice as much on women’s sheer hosiery, one and a half times as much on video games, one and a half times as much on pinball machines, slightly more on the lawn industry, about five times as much on pets, one and a half times as much on skin care, almost one and a half times as much on chewing gum, almost three times as much on swimming pools and accessories, approximately seven times as much on sweets, seventeen times as much on diets and diet-related products, twenty times as much on sports activities, approximately 26 times as much on soft drinks, and a staggering 140 times as much on legalized gambling activities.

Craig Blomberg

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Vegetables		Vegetables	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

4	lg	Artichokes
		Salt and pepper
1/2	c	Virgin olive oil
2		Lemons cut in wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Pull off outer layers of deep green leaves from each artichoke and discard.
Cut off stem and set aside. Rub each cut with a lemon wedge. Place
artichoke on its side and cut off top third. Discard these points. Using a
pair of scissors, cut offthe sharp points. Soak 10 minutes in cold water
with 1 ounce. lemon juice.
Carefully open the leaves by prying with your fingers as if opening a
flower and the pressing down on the counter the opening face. Drain each
artichoke on paper towels, shaking to remove all liquid. Season
aggressively with salt and pepper between each leaf and all over.
Heat the virgin olive oil in a tall side sauce pan, 8-inch to 10-inch wide
at base until just smoking.
Cook artichokes in this hot oil 12 to 15 minutes, until golden all over.
After 10 minutes of cooking, spritz the pan by shaking your wet hand over
the artichokes to mist them. Be careful: this will cause the oil to sizzle
and spatter..
When the artichokes are cooked, remove each one, and holding the artichoke
by skewering its base with a fork, press the flower side down to force it
further open. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and pepper again and
serve with lemon wedges.
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #237
Date: Wed, 09 Oct 1996 08:20:54 -0700
From: Gerald Edgerton <[email protected]>

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