Ingredients:
Artichokes, one per person being served
1 fresh lemon
Minced garlic
Bay leaves
Black peppercorns

Take several large artichokes. Cut off the stems and save them. Cut off the pointy leaf-tips and discard them. Remove the hard stringy exterior of the stems (a peeler works well for this). Soak in cold salted water for a little while.

Take a pressure cooker. Put in about an inch of water, half of a lemon, a spoonful of minced garlic, a couple of bay leaves, and five or six black peppercorns. Put in the artichokes, bottoms upwards, and the peeled stems. Seal the pressure cooker and cook over high flame for about eight-ten minutes after the ticker starts ticking.
(If you don't own a pressure cooker and can't borrow one, use a regular pot with a nice tight-fitting lid, and steam the artichokes right side up for about 45-50 minutes or until the leaves pull out with no resistance. They still come out pretty good, but in a pressure cooker they turn out much more flavorful and tender.)

Serve artichokes hot with lemon butter dipping sauce or cold with herb mayonnaise dipping sauce. Makes an excellent appetizer. Note: If you have never eaten an artichoke before, find someone who knows how to eat them and ask them to show you.

Lemon Butter
Take the equivalent of six cloves of garlic, minced. Melt about half a stick of butter or margarine in a small saucepan and sautee the garlic in it. Add lemon juice (proportions, roughly: three parts lemon juice to one part melted butter). Bring to a boil and turn the flame down. Add dried parsley, onion powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Let simmer on a low flame for a good long while. Serve with hot artichokes.

Herb Mayonnaise
Combine two parts mayonnaise with one part lemon juice. Add a dash of sugar and slightly larger amounts of garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, sweet basil and parsley. Serve with cold artichokes.