Bless the people of
Monterrey, for they give us the wonder of the
artichoke -- and the artichoke
tea!! There are many ways to
prepare an artichoke, but my
favorite is to
broil it in a small
pot, about two inches deep with
water, over a
fire. Any number of
seasonings will attend to this
dish, but whichever ones are used will also flavor the tea -- the olive-green shaded, artichoke flavored delight that remains in the pot when the vegetable is done and served.
This is no
sweet tea by any stretch, and is best served
spiced. I prefer to pour it from the pot into a
mason jar, and put it aside for a later day -- why drink the tea at the same meal as you eat the
flower? That would be like drinking hot
apple juice with a hot
apple pie, maybe pleasurable, but repetitive and denying the
pallate the
gift of
variety. It will keep well for days, at least, and makes a good
accompaniment to
shiitake mushrooms and a variety of
tofu recipes.
Some don't consider artichoke tea to be a true "tea" -- but what else would you call a preparation of boiled water flavored with the petals of a flower, even a big,
green flower?