It is not only edible but also dense and tasty just like the artichoke heart. Last night I was preparing some monster artichokes for my son Sam’s birthday chez us,

gigantic artichokes

when I decided to get out the camera and film the process of trimming the stems. I actually learned this many years ago from Jacques Pepin, the great culinary technician and teacher, who I was lucky enough to work with at my last restaurant job.

so, you simply cut off the stem from the artichoke like I did here:

artichoke stems, cut side up

the inner lighter colored core of the stem is the edible part – you just have to cut off the outer fibrous part like I am doing here:

trimming the stem

until you are left with the core:

down to the core

and then you just add these little pieces to the pot (I steam my artichokes, they come out much less watery if you steam them instead of boiling them) for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

the cores of the stems and the trimmings

Everyone is sooo happy to have more of the good stuff!!