We love artichokes and we love them simply prepared. Which is ideal because it keeps this healthy and low in calories. So I decided to put my Instant Pot to the test and it worked like a charm. All I needed was a little water, lemon and garlic to produce a tender and delicious result. We love these as a side with dinner but they're also great for appetizers while entertaining.
Ingredients for "Instant" Artichokes:
4 large artichokes, trimmed
1-2 lemons
1 cup of water
1 bay leaf
4 cloves of garlic
Time-Saving Tip: Thanks to pretty much hands-off cooking with the Instant Pot you can prepare the rest of the meal while the artichokes are cooking.
Let's see what we need.
We're ready to cook.
Cut off the stem and set aside. Pull off some of the tough outer leaves. Then cut off the top portion of the artichoke and with a kitchen shears cut off all of the tips. Rub all of the cut areas with lemon. It drives my husband crazy that I cut off the tips of all of the leaves. I will say that it is pretty universal to do so...he says he doesn't have a handle to pull the leaves. But don't worry you will and since you will have cut off the point tip it wont poke you when you pull. As a compromise, I always peel and cook the stems along with the artichokes. Growing up my mom always threw out the stems.
Add the water to the pot followed by the artichokes. These were pretty big and just fit in the pot. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and a few slices of lemon. Season the artichokes with a little salt. As you can see I also added the stems.
I set the Instant Pot on High Pressure for 15 minutes. Release pressure manually when cooked. If you think you have smaller artichokes you can reduce the cooking time by a few minutes. If after cooking your artichokes are still not tender enough you can return them to High Pressure for a few more minutes. It's not an exact science since it really depends on the size.
They're ready! They look great. We like them with just lemon but feel free to serve them with melted butter, too.
Enjoy!