This is the beginning of the spring season for fresh artichokes. Don’t worry if they are a little brown, which sometimes comes from a light frost before harvesting. You will usually find that these are the tastiest and have large hearts. Make sure to select globe artichokes that have tight, compact heads and tiny thorns.
At the beginning of artichoke season, I like to cook up a few whole ones and serve them chilled, warm, or even grilled. An alternate cooking method is to stuff and bake them. I enjoyed these while visiting Italy, and when I came home, I recreated that taste memory. Baking the artichokes whole preserves their shape.
