The Cost of Slow-Cooking an Artichoke and Serving it With Couscous and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is actually a meal I made earlier this month, but I figured it would be more interesting to write about than what I ate this weekend (“the cost of bread and cheese under the broiler served with black beans and a salad”).

I love artichokes, and I rarely buy them because they are both slightly more expensive than other dinner options—this artichoke was a whopping $2.99—and because they often look brown and shriveled instead of green and delicious.

But when you hit artichoke season, it’s worth picking one up.

I don’t know how you eat artichokes, but when I was growing up we boiled them whole and then peeled off the leaves, dipped them in mayonnaise, and scraped off the soft part of the leaf (and the blob of mayonnaise) with our teeth.

This time I decided to use balsamic vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise, and to let the artichoke soak all day in the slow cooker instead of spending 30 minutes minding a pot of boiling water and pulling the artichoke out too soon because I was impatient.

The slow cooker is the best idea, if you’re into the “boil artichokes whole” method. I filled the slow cooker two-thirds of the way up with water, dropped in the artichoke, and by dinnertime it was soft and perfect and ready for leaf-scraping.

I also made one other important change: instead of providing myself with, like, a half-cup of dip (mayonnaise or otherwise), I drizzled about two tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette between the rows of leaves. Then I ate them without dipping them in anything else, and they were wonderful.

I also had a side of couscous, because I still haven’t eaten up all that couscous I bought on sale.

Cost of artichoke with balsamic vinaigrette and couscous:

One artichoke: $2.99

Open Nature Balsamic Vinaigrette: $0.16

Near East Couscous, Original Plain: $0.50

Total cost: $3.65

Previously:

The Cost of Cooking Tilapia, Spinach, and Couscous With Balsamic Vinaigrette

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