Artichokes are my favorite vegetable, with peas and fava beans close behind. Maybe it’s no surprise that my thorny disposition has always drawn me to them. But as I mellow with age, it makes sense that I’ve developed a special fondness for the gentler baby version. Living back in Northern California, with easy access to Bolinas’ coastal baby artichokes, has made them a bigger part of my kitchen life lately—perhaps with no real connection to my thorny nature despite the fact that I too am much easier to handle (these days— depending on who you ask)