Artichokes have long been one of my favorite vegetables. I can remember requesting them for my birthday supper as early as the age of 8. We ate them in the Greek style; minimally cleaned, often steamed whole, and served with melted butter. Each layer of petals promised more and more tender flesh at its base, until reaching the unforgiving choke. Quickly removed with a spoon it rarely slowed my progression to the heart, the final and most satisfying finish to this uninviting vegetable. I appreciate the many ways of cleaning and breaking down an artichoke, but in most of my preferred applications I leave the majority of it in tact. I now remove at least the tips of the petals and take out the choke. So when I was on a trip to my local grocery store and saw some of the most delicious looking fresh artichokes, I had to buy a few for dinner. I steamed them and stuffed them with chopped seared shrimp, fire roasted tomatoes, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and squeeze of lemon juice. This was then topped with hollandaise and fresh toasted coconut. I served this along with a parsnip puree that was deliciously smooth and creamy. I will definitely do another rendition on this dish again.
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