Gracie loved artichokes and years ago the only time of year you could find them in the marketplace was early Spring. She had her favorite way of preparing them but I’ve come up with three more.

Mom always stuffed her artichokes with a garlic rich breadcrumb and Parmesan cheese stuffing and then steamed them for 30 to 40 minutes. They always came out perfect and my sister and I would fight over them like crazy. A few weeks back I shared with you her recipe in our Valentine’s Day post, but today I would like to offer up three other suggestions for this unique vegetable.

The suggestions listed below are for whole, fresh artichokes and not the kind found jarred in either oil or water. For the most part the jarred variety are just the heart, which is in fact the most favorable part. Artichokes are in fact very good for you and considered a super food. Of course the fresher the food the better.

#1 Grilled Artichokes with Stems- When I had my Italian Specialty store, these were a big hit. Initially we used to buy them imported, already prepared and grilled in olive oil. We later found a supplier that sold us the clean artichokes with stems and we grilled them ourselves. Soak them in Olive Oil, season with sea salt and grill until they are lightly browned. You can find fresh, cleaned artichokes with stems in most specialty food stores.

#2 Roasted Sicilian Artichokes – Travel to Sicily this time of year and you will find many road side vendors offering this Sicilian specialty. The artichokes are cooked over hot coals or as the locals would say ‘a braci.’ Sicilians will mix pancetta bacon, chopped onions, garlic and celery, combined with olive oil and lemon juice. The artichokes are cleaned, with the stems removed and the top 1/2 inch cut off. The lower leaves insulate the the inner heart, leaves and stuffing from burning and the finished smoky end product is out of this world. Get the full story on this recipe at Taste of Sicily.

#3 Simple Roasted Artichokes – Have you ever roasted garlic? Well that’s pretty much the way we’re preparing these artichokes. First off, we clean and cut the artichoke in a way that is fairly universal. Cut the stem so the artichoke can sit straight. Remove the lower leaves and cut about an inch off the top. Snip any remaining leaves that are sharp. Take a clove of garlic and shove it into the center of the artichoke and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze 1/2 lemon over the top. Wrap each artichoke in tin foil to form a tight seal. Bake at 425 for an hour and a half and let sit for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Do yourself a favor and pick up some artichokes for this weekend. On top of being a healthy food choice artichokes are also considered an aphrodisiac. Again, I refer to our Valentine’s Day post for more on that.