), and since it arrived I've been striving to replicate my mother's timing for pressure-cooking artichokes--as I remember them, they were fast and more perfect than conventional methods though I'm not unhappy with conventional results. The arrival of very large, very pretty artichokes at Haggens Market this week at $2 each, the cheapest I've ever seen them up here outside of Costco, spurred me into working with them. The first batch was overcooked; the second perfect. I'm not so much sharing as explaining my post, since my purpose is entirely selfish--FLDG *is* my recipe book. I don't keep other written records of anything I do. Anything I want to remember, I post here. So I'm posting and adding some embellishment for you who read along.
Add water to the bottom of the pot until it just covers the plate. Add 1 tblsp of olive oil, two bay leaves and 3/4 tsp of salt. Rinse the trimmed artichokes and place in the pot stem end up. Cover and bring to high heat. Boil until the last mark is reached, then turn fire to medium low and leave for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the chokes to cool for another 15 minutes. Promptly uncover and remove the artichokes to a platter to finish cooling.
The purpose of the olive oil, btw, is to infuse the artichokes with a healthy glow that will keep the leaves from drying out and curling up while they cool.