artichoke dilemma

Trim them down to the heart, remove the choke, and steam them. Then store in the freezer until you need them for a recipe. But they need to be cooked first before freezing or they will turn black, though it won't affect the flavor, it will just look unappetizing.

I really like putting wedges of whole trimmed artichokes (so there is a spray of leaves attached to each wedge of the heart) in paella as you would shellfish. Steam or boil the artichokes until slightly undercooked, and then add to the top of the paella after you've added liquid to the rice -- the artichokes don't cook that much more in the paella.

Also, my favorite way to prepare artichokes, either for eating plain or use in other dishes, is to quarter them while raw and scrape out the choke, then steam. It's easier to tell when they're done, and no messy choke removal required when you eat them. The steamed artichoke pieces also keep pretty well in the fridge.

Cooking and marinating is a great idea! They could also be lunch - boil or steam, then remove the choke and chill. Bring them to work - I like to fill the middle with some sour cream / lemon / capers / dill and then eat your dip and "bowl" ... of course then you have leaves to deal with but that's no hill for a climber.