Baby artichokes, an ode. An obsession.

Prickly on the outside, tender in the inside.
Artichokes are like most people.

We all have to grow these hard exteriors to combat negativity, stress, prejudice, racism, stereotypes, etc., but deep down inside, we are all the same. Underneath the layers and layers of obstacles and experiences in life, we are soft and tender. We are sweet to those we love. We all have a heart.

What a great metaphor, but really. I LOVE ARTICHOKES, specifically baby artichokes. I think it started at Houston's 2 years ago. They had them as their special roasted and seasoned with butter and lemon. It was heaven. And I've got them at King's fish after that, which were not too stellar.

But before all this, I had never had a deep feeling for these prickly chokes, I only semi-liked the canned artichoke hearts that came in salads or pastas. They always seemed so intimidating, since my parents never really cooked them, they could've been an alien from mars, because I had no idea how to cook them. But when I saw a great post in early May about how baby artichokes were much easier to prep and eat (since they don't have the purple choke like their larger cousins) AND were in season - I decided to go out and buy a box from trader joe's.

Such love discovered for a mere $3. The love has grown, quite greatly into an obsession. My lust for roasted baby artichokes rivals my roommate's adoration for eggs. We just simply must have them. It is truly our Achilles heel.

I've been buying them nearly every week and preparing them the same way. Peeling off the hard outer leaves until I see yellow, trimming the stem and top. Dumping them into a lemon-infused bath, lightly seasoning them with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and then roasting them for 15 minutes at 425F.

I can eat the whole box. I really can, and I still want to. The in-season for baby artichokes was May, and now it's getting into June...I think I'll push them into my cart just a few more times while they have them at TJ's.

My favor towards them inclined me to search for the famous Artichoke festival in Castroville (where Marilyn Monroe was once queened) and to my dismay, I found I was too late. This year's festival was on May 17th. Looks like Castroville will have to wait until next year. (a sad sigh)