The dust is finally settling on Serge the Concierge new digs.
I feel human enough to think about cooking, recipes and the like.
Amongst the vegetables that came along for the ride, artichokes.
To call them fresh might be a stretch as they were purchased some 10 days or so ago.
I was pondering if they should be discarded or still any good.

If I read well between the lines of A Fresh Artichoke is Worth the Effort by Janet Fletcher (Fine Cooking), the leaves end (the edible part) might be a tad tough but I might still be able to enjoy the hearts.

Which allows me to segue into Baby artichokes - Eat their tender hearts out (Globe and Mail) by Massimo Capra, chef and co-owner of Mistura, a Toronto restaurant  .

Our Canadian friend feels that "there's something sexy about savoring them leaf by leaf, but there are many more ways to enjoy these sweet, creamy flower buds".

This vegetable even inspired Singapore art gallery L'artichaut (French word for 'artichoke) to choose it as its emblem as their recent sale illustrates.

More choke stories: Artichokes, How to cook and eat them (if you were born in Brittany)