The Artichokes of EdenArtichokes are the ultimate visual metaphor for a bitchy woman. She appears tough and prickly. Shakespeare thought she needed taming.

Reality is that if you cook her properly, slicing off her prickly tips, and giving her proper time to stew in anticipation of the feast, she is ambrosia on your tongue.

Nibbling the flesh off her leaves is an art … I said nibble, not bite, unless she requests it. Patience will take you to the core of her artichoke being, the inner sanctum of her succulent and juicy artichoke heart.

This sexy little vignette is mine, inspired by Hot Flashes Sexy Stories, whose artichoke story begins: She held it, hot, in her hand and slowly pulled back one of the outer leaves. She grazed her teeth down from the narrow tip and caught the tiny mound of flesh at its base.

My food fantasy has butter running down her chin, not her sleeve, but this is a critical aspect of Erotic Food. We all have different turn-ons.

Of course artichokes are sexy … born in the soil of a hot, sensual Mediterranean climate. The three-hour siesta is long gone in Milan and Barcelona, but I imagine that artichokes have inspired millions of lunchtime seductions over the years.

The Italian Dish shares Marcella Hazan’s memories of another seduction, her 1970 wooing of NYTimes reporter Craig Claiborne.

In her 2008 autobiography “Amacord”, Hazan summaries that lunch as a bonafide triumph: Roman style artichokes, tortelloni stuffed with swiss chard, prosciutto and ricotta, veal rolls stuffed with parmesan and pancetta, fennel salad and a dessert of marinated orange slices.

Claiborne was putty in her hands forever after, even though Hazan was a married woman and Claiborne was openly gay.

For a superb and bountiful recap of artichoke history and recipes, visit In Mamas Kitchen. Who knows what devilish inspiration awaits you.

Anne