I am well aware that the artichoke is a cancer prevention food -- rich in cancer-fighting nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and magnesium. That it is virtually fat-free and offers plenty of fiber. And that the artichoke leaves contain cynarin, a compound proving to be beneficial for liver health, and silymarin, a compound with powerful anitoxidant properties.

But the artichoke intimidates me with its pointy-tipped leaves and fuzzy middle. It has always been, in my mind, a strange and exotic multi-layered green orb. While I have a fondness for artichoke, I have given into my fears and purchased the trusted marinated artichoke hearts prepared by somebody else and sold at the grocers for any artichoke in my diet.

Sarah J. Gim, of our sister blog Slashfood, has taken the fear out of artichoke preparation. In fact, it is so simple I now feel profoundly silly about avoiding the artichoke in its most natural form. In Spring in season: roasted artichokes, Sarah explains step-by-step how to prepare and roast an artichoke. She calls it the slaying of the spiny dragon. If you have been secretly, or not so secretly, intimidated by a vegetable that has been revered since ancient times for its many wonderful properties, Sarah can show you how easy it is to prepare an artichoke properly and with confidence.