- FILL a large bowl with water and a touch of lemon juice. This will keep your artichokes from turning brown after you finish prepping them. 2. PLACE a single artichoke on a cutting board and turn it on its side. Using a sharp knife, slice off the top half—this will get rid of most of the very prickly leaves, which you can discard. If you’re making stuffed artichokes, just trim the stem and you’re ready to go. If you’re not making stuffed artichokes, leave the stem intact for now and proceed to Step 3.3. USE your fingers to pull off the rest of the tough leaves and discard. You can leave the very delicate inner leaves in place.4. USE a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel away the stem’s tough outer fibers, as well as any tough-feeling parts around the base.5. SLICE the artichoke right down the middle, stem and all.6. REMOVE the choke by using a small spoon (a melon spoon works best, but any small spoon will do) to scrape out the fuzzy white center of each artichoke half. Discard.7. PLACE your artichoke halves in the lemon water. Keep them there while you prep the rest of your artichokes so they don’t turn brown. When you’re ready to start cooking, drain and lightly pat them dry.
