Right now, we're at the peak of the springtime season for artichokes (there's another peak in autumn). And one of my favorite forms of artichoke to cook are the so-called baby ones. That name, in fact, is misleading. Baby artichokes aren't really younger versions of the familiar globe artichokes, which are as big as your fist or larger. The little egg-sized artichokes are actually smaller simply because they grow closer to the ground on the tall stalks of the plant, a member of the thistle family.
Being sheltered and shaded by those higher up on the plant, they simply grow to a size that seems immature by comparison. Like many true baby vegetables, however, baby artichokes are more tender and have a more delicate flavor. They also offer the benefit of not having developed the tough, fibrous chokes that you'll find at the heart of big artichokes, or as much of the thick skin and sharp points on the leaves, so they require less in the way of meticulous trimming and cutting.
Nevertheless, before cooking, you will have to trim away anything from their exterior that seems inedible, and, after cutting, you still need to put them in acidulated water — that is, water with lemon juice — to maintain the pristine greenish-gray color of their raw flesh, which oxidizes rapidly on exposure to air. Once you're prepped them for cooking in this way, baby artichokes lend themselves to a great variety of preparations. I enjoy them raw, cut into thin slices and tossed with Parmesan shavings and a light lemon vinaigrette. They're delicious quartered or thickly sliced, dipped in a light batter, and deep-fried in the style of Italian fritto misto or Japanese tempura. My fiancée goes often to Angelini Osteria, the Los Angeles restaurant of our friend Gino Angelini, just to eat the baby artichokes that he slowly braises in olive oil with garlic and herbs. She also likes to eat them the way I often cook them, oven-braised with aromatic vegetables, herbs and white wine, then tossed with a simple vinaigrette and drizzled with a lemony version of aioli, the popular garlic mayonnaise of Provence.
When shopping for baby artichokes in your farmers' market, look for ones that have good color, are free of blemishes and wrinkles, and feel heavy for their size. If you see lots of them, plan on doubling or even tripling my recipe. They'll keep in the refrigerator for several days — store the aioli separately — and will only go on improving in flavor. Just be sure to let them come to room temperature before serving. One taste, and I'm sure you'll agree that “baby” artichokes deserve just as much or even more attention than their seemingly grown-up siblings.