Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables and this year I’ve been lucky to have several healthy plants in the garden.

Since mine aren’t quite ready yet, I’ve been buying them at the market and cooking them up for dinner. You want to look for chokes that have tight leaves and feel dense and solid when squeezed.

First I cut them in half lengthwise.

I use my biggest soup pot with a lid and add plenty of water as well as a whole lemon, cut in half and the juice squeezed into the mix.

Put the lid on, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until a leaf pulls off easily and is tender to the bite, usually about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the choke.

Once the delicious chokes are cooked, drain, put on plates and serve with your favorite dip. Here are some of my favorite dip choices, pictured here:

Chunky, spicy guacamole

Hummus mixed with olive oil and a little lemon juice until thin and dip-worthy

Melted butter with a good squeeze of fresh Meyer lemon juice, salt and pepper

Nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with pesto, salt and pepper

Mayo mixed with fresh lemon juice (equal parts), salt and pepper

Bon Appetit!