Steamed artichokes are perhaps the easiest and simplest way to prepare this vegetable. I love serving them as a first course at informal gatherings, as they are a great ice breaker: They must be eaten with your fingers! To eat them, you pull away the leaves, dipping them in the accompanying sauce and nibbling on the tender white ends as you go, until you get to the heart. Remove the hairy choke, and then enjoy the tender and succulent heart. They are a bit messy to eat, but that is part of the fun. I serve the artichokes in soup plates with either a hot or a cold sauce, for everyone to dip to their heart’s content. Make sure you have large napkins on your lap, a large bowl or plate to gather the eaten and discarded leaves, and small bowls with water and lemon to delicately rinse your fingers. …