Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - April 12, 2009
This week's features include:
Food - Artichoke
Recipe - Italian chicken stew
Activity - Rollerblading
History
Artichokes have a long history, dating all the way back to 371-287 B.C. in Italy and Sicily. In fact, the artichoke is considered one of the oldest foods in the world. It was originally thought of as an aphrodisiac by Greeks and Romans and for this reason was sometimes reserved for consumption only by man. After the fall of Rome, the artichoke almost died out. However, during the Renaissance in 1466, the artichoke made a comeback. Artichokes began spreading to Florence and Naples, eventually becoming very popular in France during the 1500’s.
The artichoke made its way to the United States in 1806 when French immigrants started cultivating the vegetable in the Louisiana territory. Spaniards living in the Monterey area of California also began growing artichoke crops in the late 1800’s. In 1922, a Monterey landowner, Andrew Molera, realized that he could make a bigger profit if he stopped growing sugar beets and started growing artichokes. He hired Italian farmers and began growing his artichokes. The change paid off, as he soon began making triple the money he was making previously. California virtually took over the artichoke business and now produces nearly one hundred percent of America’s commercially grown artichokes.
Adapted from: What’s Cooking America
How to Eat an Artichoke
Artichokes get a bad rap because people think they are too hard to eat. But don’t be afraid! The artichoke’s delectable flavor is worth the wait of trying to figure out how to eat them! Here are some easy steps that will help you enjoy the great taste of artichokes.
The artichoke is divided into three parts: the outer leaves, a middle layer of fuzzy skin (commonly referred to as the “choke”), and the artichoke heart.
- The leaves of artichokes are really good for dipping in sauces. Start by pulling the leaves off at the bottom of the artichoke, then dip them into the sauce.
- The interior of the leaf is where most of the edible meat is, so begin by placing the leaf in between your teeth. Make sure the interior part of the leaf is touching your bottom set of teeth and the exterior part is touching your top set of teeth.
- Scrape the interior, meaty part of the leaf off with your bottom teeth.
- Continue this process with more leaves until you reach leaves with no meat on them. These leaves can be pulled off and thrown away.
- The next layer that you will see is the fuzzy “choke” layer. This is not edible, so you want to use either a spoon or knife to scrape it off. This will reveal the scrumptious artichoke heart.
- The heart can be cut into bite-sized pieces and can be eaten with a dipping sauce as well. The artichoke can also be use in recipes to add delicious flavor!
Adapted from: What You Need to Know About
Artichoke Availability / Selection / Storage
The best season for artichokes is in the spring, during the months of March to May. When selecting an artichoke, make sure that it feels heavy for its size. This means that it will have more artichoke meat for you to enjoy. Its leaves should lay tight together, and they should be deep green in color. The leaves should also make a squeaking sound when they are gently pressed together. Artichokes should be stored in the refrigerator, unwashed in a plastic bag. They can be stored for up to 1 week, but they will taste better if eaten on the same day of purchase. Cooked artichokes can either be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in a tightly wrapped plastic bag, foil or plastic container for 6 to 8 months.
Adapted from: What You Need to Know About
Nutrition
Artichokes are great to eat not only because they are tasty, but they are also rich in many nutrients! They are a great source of vitamin C, folate, fiber, and many other minerals.
Nutrient analysis of 1 large artichoke: calories: 76, fat: <1g, saturated fat: <1g, monounsaturated fat: 0g, polyunsaturated fat: <1g, protein: 5g, carbohydrate: 17g, cholesterol: 0mg, sodium: 152mg, potassium: 599mg, fiber: 8.8g, vitamin C: 19mg, folate: 110 mcg
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red chilies
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 pound potatoes cut into 1” chunks
- 2 8oz jars artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 8-12 green or black olives, pitted and cut in half
Instructions:
- Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a Ziploc bag
- Add the chicken and shake to coat
- Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil is shimmering
- Shake off excess flour and brown the chicken on both sides in two batches
- Remove the chicken and reduce the heat to low
- Sauté the garlic, chilies, and capers for about thirty seconds until fragrant
- Add the tomatoes and their juices
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices are reduced a bit
- Add the broth, chicken and potatoes
- Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes
- Add the artichokes, cover, and simmer another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender
- Stir in the parsley and olives
Nutrition Information: 365 calories, 12 grams total fat, 29 grams carbohydrate, 34 gram protein, 4 grams fiber, 493 milligrams sodium, 124 milligrams cholesterol
Recipe is modified from the Kaiser Permanente website. For more recipes and access to the recipe’s full nutritional profile, http://recipe.kaiser-permanente.org
Now that spring has finally sprung, we can enjoy the great outdoors again! Rollerblading is a fun way to enjoy the nice weather, plus it increases your cardiovascular fitness, balance, and coordination. Not to mention it’s a calorie-burner! A 150 pound person can burn approximately 500 calories in one hour of blading!
While rollerblading is a lot of fun, it can be dangerous. So it’s important to keep in mind these safety tips:
- People of all ages need to wear safety gear such as a helmet specially designed for blading or skateboarding, knee and elbow pads, wrist guards and safety gloves. This equipment will lessen the risk of serious injury during falls.
- When you purchase a pair of rollerblades, make sure that they fit snug around your foot. You want them tight enough that they will provide adequate ankle support, but not too tight that they will cut off your circulation. Also, ask the store for safety information about rollerblading. If they are unable to help you, ask where you can find such information.
- If you are a beginner, practice in your own front yard or on a floor mat. Make sure you know how to turn and stop properly. Once you get it down pat, try blading on your driveway or sidewalk. Children especially need to have enough practice in the front yard or on a mat before venturing onto paved sidewalks or bike paths. Children are particularly prone to injury as they tend not to have as much coordination and balance as adults. It is also important that a child always be supervised by an adult when rollerblading.
- Unless you are an experienced rollerblader, you should avoid blading in the streets. Try a bike trail near you, or just blade on sidewalks.
- While rollerblading, be sure to warn pedestrians ahead of you that you will be passing them. Always pass on the left, just like when driving, and say “passing on your left” loud enough for them to hear you.
- Check that your rollerblades are functioning properly. Check that the screws are screwed in tightly and the wheels are secure. The wheels should be rotated often because the front wheels wear faster than the rear wheels. If your wheels get really worn down, you can always have them replaced.
Adapted from: Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit Injury Prevention