First artichokes of the season

Yes, the first artichokes of the year. This is the best part of travelling. You see so much. You try so many new things, cheeses, snacks, wild greens... This photo is taken at the Selcuk Market, on the 19th of January. Most of you would know Selçuk because of Ephesus. Selçuk is where you go to visit Ephesus. So I'm at the market. It's a sunny day. So warm, so colorful. You start walking and you see these artichokes. If I'd say this is kind of an exotic flower, many people would believe in me. But it's a vegetable at the same time and I made a wonderful cold dish with them. (I got three artichokes for 3.75 new Turkish lira, which is a little less than 3.5 dollars) I cut the outer leaves and cut the top of them, 1-2 cm each. I cut them in four pieces and cleaned the hairy part. I then kept them in lemon water so they stayed white. I sauteed an onion, added the artichokes and the juice of half a lemon and added two potatoes, cut in small chunks. And of course, virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. That's it. Then we ate it warm (although I say it's a cold dish). It was heavenly.