They don’t look appetising and it’s not obvious how you cook them, but you should give artichokes a try if you want to do better in the bedroom. They provide magnesium, which enhances the function of serotonin – a hormone that relaxes your central nervous system – and maintains healthy levels of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. They also contain folate, which improves fertility by increasing sperm mobility, according to a study from Rome University. So if you want a good night, try one of the recipes below.
Artichoke soup - Ingredients (serves 4)
600g globe artichokes, peeled / 1 garlic bulb / 50g unsalted butter / 25ml olive
oil / 200g red onion / 1 clove garlic / 100g leeks / 100g celery / 2tsp thyme / 250ml milk / 500ml veg stock / 200g red potatoes / Salt and white pepper, to taste
To make
Roast the garlic bulb and artichokes for 20min at 200˚C/gas mark 6. Fry the onion and garlic in the butter and half the oil until translucent. Add the celery, leek and thyme and cook until soft. Crush the roasted garlic flesh into a pan with the artichokes, milk, stock and potato. Simmer for 10min. Season, blend and serve with green herb oil.
Tuna Niçoise salad - Ingredients (serves 1)
20g globe artichokes, peeled and halved / 20g new potatoes, halved / 20g green beans / 3 quail’s eggs / 100g tuna loin / 2tbsp olive oil / ½tsp Dijon mustard / 1 gem heart lettuce, shredded / Handful of cherry tomatoes / 20g black olives, pitted / 2 anchovies / Pinch of parsley
To make
Boil the potatoes for 10min, the beans for 5min and the eggs for 4min. Slice the tuna and fry it lightly for 2min each side. Mix the oil and mustard to make a dressing. Mix the vegetables, artichokes, olives and anchovies in a bowl. Add the tuna, potatoes and quail’s eggs. Garnish with the dressing and parsley.
Fried artichokes with avocado and bottarga - Ingredients (serves 2)
6 violet artichokes / 2tbsp chickpea flour / 2tbsp durum flour / 2tbsp rapeseed oil / Salt, to taste / 1tsp paprika / 2 avocados / Juice of 1 lemon / 1tsp bottarga (fish roe)
To make
Boil the artichokes in salted water until tender, then drain, cool and cut lengthways into quarters. Mix the two flours, moisten the artichokes with water and dust them with flour. Fry until golden, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt and paprika. Peel the avocados, remove their stones and blend them with the lemon juice. Serve with the artichokes, grating the bottarga over both.
