The Artichoke That Ate Chicago

Doesn't this remind you of Audrey II, the carnivorous plant from Little Shop of Horrors?

She was a gift from My Beloved's daughters, Sarah and Katie, who harvested her from a garden up near Boonville where they were spending the weekend celebrating a significant birthday. Fiercely purple and green, Audrey II was large enough (fully 8 inches across - I could fit only one in my largest pot) and looked ferocious enough to be a maneater.

Instead, Audrey was meaty herself, with huge leaves tipped with thorns but based with rich, flavorful tidbits. The heart was as wide as my hand - perhaps we should have saved it as the base for a wonderful poached egg but I didn't think of that in time. Instead, we added olive oil and red wine vinegar to the water, steamed her for nearly an hour before she sighed and softened, then dipped each leaf and each bite of the heart into mayonnaise thinned about 1-1 with Meyer lemon juice, and savored it all.

Best of all, there are three more of these monsters lurking in the fridge! Thanks, girls!