Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Butter and White Beans

From the garden

• 4 large artichokes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley or chives

From the pantry

• 2 lemons — one for the pot, one for the butter and beans
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2 cans canned white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• black pepper

1. Trim the artichokes: snap off the tough small leaves at the base, cut off the top third with a serrated knife, snip the thorny leaf tips with scissors, and trim the stem flush so they sit upright. Rub every cut surface with a lemon half so it doesn't brown.
2. Set the artichokes stem-side down in a steamer basket over an inch of simmering water, squeezing that lemon half into the pot. Cover and steam 30–40 minutes, topping up the water if needed, until an outer leaf pulls free with no fight and a knife slides easily into the base.
3. Near the end, melt the butter gently with two-thirds of the garlic — don't let it brown — then take it off the heat and add the juice of half the remaining lemon and a pinch of salt.
4. Warm the beans in the olive oil with the rest of the garlic over medium heat, 3–4 minutes, then finish with the last of the lemon juice, the herbs, salt, and pepper.
5. Serve each artichoke with a ramekin of lemon butter and the beans alongside: pull the leaves and scrape the flesh off with your teeth, dipping as you go. At the center, spoon out the fuzzy choke to reach the heart — the best bite of the plant.