But I rarely think of the artichoke in its entirety, and I even more rarely think about its family. The artichoke, you see, is a thistle. Thistles are prickly plants with sharp surfaces to counter-attack hungry herbivores (like us.)

The artichoke is an edible thistle, but if we didn’t slice off those prickly points from the bud portion and eat it, it would grow into a spectacular purple flower. Perhaps that’s the reason for the flesh-wounding tips: a gift as precious as the one inside each artichoke bud –whether it becomes a lovely bloom or a meal for you to savor– is one well worth protecting.

An artichoke in full bloom. (Cat Dancing/Creative Commons License)

That’s why I wanted to concoct a slow cooker recipe that glorifies the artichoke instead of strangling it in cheese or butter, like Americans are so often apt to do. In Spain they know how to treat an artichoke, sauteeing them simply with a dab of garlic, or sprinkling the young ones lightly with olive oil and leaving them to roast slowly in the ashes of a fire.

This slow cooker chicken dish is lightly seasoned, with just enough herbs, white wine, and olive oil to bring out the taste of the artichokes themselves.

Chicken and artichokes, simply seasoned.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichokes Recipe

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
3 cups artichoke hearts, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup kalamata olives (about 12)
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tsp olive oil

Directions: Arrange chicken breasts and artichokes in the crock of your slow cooker. Top with kalamata olives and sprinkle with herbs and garlic. Pour wet ingredients over the top, drizzling the olive oil last, and stir just a little to combine ingredients if necessary. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a Greek salad, or a simple green salad sprinkled with feta, and warm pita bread.

Keep in kind that the thistle is an ancient Celtic symbol of nobility, and the wounding of one demands punishment. If anyone lifts the lid of your slow cooker while you cook your artichokes, feel free to mete out that punishment in the name of the Order of the Thistle.

Red peppers give the dip a rosy hue instead of the usual greenish one.

The timing was perfect for a girls’ get-together. My friend Laurel was still dewy from her recent wedding –a lovely outdoor affair with colorful parasols for guests and big poufs of paper flowers– and anxious to show off her new wedding gifts, which included a slew of artsy tableware.

My friend Jessica was turning 30, and we knew she needed comfort, seeing as how she’s just one calcium-deficient step away from support knee-highs and bingo nights. The rest of us? We just needed a drink. Like I said, the timing was perfect.

Turning 30 means seeking solace in a whole crock of artichoke dip. It works! Solace achieved.

The choice to keep the dudes at home was a stroke of genius. Parties are always a little bit wilder without the men putting a damper on things. We were free to talk (discussion topics included selling panties on the Internet and how –or if– one’s Barbies had sex) and generally carouse.

Laurel served up a drink concoction that was suited to the hot Southern summer: lemon vodka, seltzer, fresh mint from the garden, and a scoop of sorbet (choice of coconut, pomegranate, or lime). She also made a crazily addictivetapenade with figs, kalamata olives and a third ingredient I’ve forgotten (pine nuts?). I’m a sucker for the combo of salty and sweet.

She chopped up a cool dish of fresh cucumbers, lime juice, and salt (an easy-peasy side I need to remember), and someone brought a gorgeous cake that looked like Neapolitan ice cream.

Leave it to me, in the midst of all the perfectly light, summery food, to be the one to drop the fat bomb.

"Ho-hum," says Susan. "I'll try some dip, but it doesn't look worth letting go of my flask."

With a lot of imbibing (and the aforementioned carousing) going on, it’s good to have something to soak up the liquor. I made a double batch, almost half a whole crockpot, thinking it might be too much, and all but a dab was gone by party’s end.

"God? Is that you?"

The red peppers and sharp cheese give this crockpot dip a kick that’s missing from some artichoke dips, and most taste-testers appreciated the departure from the ubiquitous spinach/artichoke combination. It’s always better hot, and the slow cooker kept it nice and warm all night.

Slow Cooker Artichoke Dip with Roasted Red Peppers Recipe

2 9 oz packages of frozen artichoke hearts
1 12 oz jar marinated artichokes, drained and some liquid reserved
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 whole lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
Splash of reserved marinade
Dashes of hot sauce, to taste

Directions: Combine in crock of slow cooker and mix to combine. Cook on low for 2 hours or high for 1 hour. Switch to warm setting and serve directly from crockpot with tortilla chips or a sliced baguette. Serves a whole bunch of regular people, or a handful of extremely ravenous women.

Tips: Cut the recipe in half for small slow cookers or a smaller crowd.
Forgot to bring the cream cheese to room temp? Just drop it in, then give it a quick stir halfway through cooking time to make sure your ingredients cook together.

Apologies to Laurel for not getting any good pictures of her tableware or food. Vodka can do that to a person’s camera-steadying hand.