Ahhh, the California artichoke...vegetable of passion, food of nobility, thistle of love! A true delight, classy and natural, fit for an Artichoke Queen!
Your first experience with an artichoke may be intimidating — the unusual exterior masks the delights that dwell within. Fear not! Once your doubts have been conquered, there is no turning back. This marvelous vegetable will engage your mind and tickle your tongue.
In spring and winter, look for artichokes with a soft green color and tightly-packed leaves. During summer, artichokes tend to be flared and conical in shape. Fall and winter artichokes may be darker or bronze-tipped, or have a whitish blistered appearance due to frost. Many consider these "winter-kissed" artichokes to be the most tender and flavorful. Appreciation of their seasonal variation in size, shape and color raises artichokes to a whole new "art" form.
If you're trying to find a great way to prepare artichokes, click here for nine artichoke recipes from local chefs in honor of the Castroville Artichoke Festival.
Once upon a time, abalone grew to dinner plate size and were common as clams. Now Monterey's two abalone farms produce the nation's only fresh, ocean-reared abalone. It's pricey, but tender and succulent.
Breaded and sauteed, cut into savory strips and deep-fried, cold in a spicy salad, calamari is the Italian culinary name for the squid that thrive in Monterey Bay.
The sanddab is a small, sweet and tender flatfish unique to the West Coast of the United States and hard to find elsewhere. They're especially popular fried.
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau P.O. Box 1770, Monterey, CA 93942 1-877-MONTEREY info@mccvb.org
In partnership with Monterey County and the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas,
Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, Pebble Beach, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Salinas Valley.
© Copyright 2009 Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
