Intimidated by artichokes? Try this decades-old beloved recipe

Editor’s note: Second Helping is a new weekly column that features a recipe previously published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

This week’s recipe was originally published on March 27, 1985, and is attributed to Jean Thwaite. Her name may ring a bell to longtime readers. Thwaite was a food writer for The Constitution from 1966 to 1982 followed by The Journal-Constitution, where she worked until 1990. She began her journalism career as the food editor at the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus in 1960 despite not knowing “what a headline was,” according to her obituary published in The Atlanta Constitution on March 27, 1993.

Her affinity for artichokes, she wrote, dated back to her childhood in San Francisco and teenage years in New York City, cities where the delicacy was readily available. She even recalled a trip to New Orleans in the mid-1950s during which she bought artichokes from street vendors in the French Quarter. “I managed to get two layers of them into my one piece of luggage before returning to Georgia,” she wrote, explaining that this produce was difficult to find east of the Mississippi until the mid-1970s.

“Even though this vegetable looks formidable, it is easy to prepare once you know how,” she wrote in the recipe headnote. Her instructions: “Wash it thoroughly, cut off the stem at the base so that the artichoke can stand up on its bottom. Trim off the small bottom leaves and the tips of the larger leaves. Cut off about an inch from the top. Now, stand it up in a deep saucepan, add 1/4 teaspoon salt per artichoke and 2 to 3 inches of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes or until you can pierce the stem with a fork or a leaf pulls out easily. Drain by turning it upside down. If it has cooked a little too much, put it in the sink, stem side down, and run cold water over it.”

When preparing Thwaite’s recipe for Hummus-Filled Artichokes, if desired, garlic can be sauteed in olive oil over low heat for a few minutes before combining with garbanzos.

“Even though this vegetable looks formidable, it is easy to prepare once you know how,” Jean Thwaite wrote of artichokes in her recipe headnote. (Courtesy of California Artichoke Advisory Board)

Hummus-Filled Artichokes

• 1 2/3 cups drained, cooked or canned garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil (see note)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (see note)
• Dash bottled hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 medium artichokes, cooked, drained and cooled
• Parsley sprigs
• Whole-wheat pita bread, for serving

1. Reserve a few garbanzos for garnish. Combine remaining garbanzos in food processor or blender with water, sesame seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, hot pepper sauce and grated lemon peel. Blend until smooth and of thick dipping consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Remove small inner petals and fuzzy centers from cooked artichokes; fill with garbanzo mixture.
3. Garnish with reserved garbanzos and parsley. Serve with whole-wheat pita bread.

Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 464 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 16 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 17 grams fiber, 26 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 680 milligrams sodium.

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