| 1 | Tie up the fennel, peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves, and garlic in a cheesecloth bundle and drop into a 2-?quart pot. |
| 2 | Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. |
| 3 | Cover, turn heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. |
| 4 | Turn off the heat and remove the cheesecloth bundle, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. |
| 5 | Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and sugar. |
| 6 | Mix and set aside. |
| 7 | halve the lemon. |
| 8 | Cut off the long artichoke stems, if there are any. |
| 9 | Starting near the stem end, press back the artichoke leaves, one by one, and then snap them off. |
| 10 | Keep doing this until you have gone past the bowl part of the artichoke that harbors the heat and have reached the paler inner leaves. |
| 11 | Using a sharp knife (a serrated one is particularly good), cut off the remaining leafy area and discard it. |
| 12 | Immediately rub all cut sections with a lemon half. |
| 13 | Scoop away the "choke" in the center of the artichoke with a grapefruit spoon. |
| 14 | Squeeze a little lemon juice into this area and rub it in. Using a sharp paring knife, trim the outside of the artichoke bowl so there are no more dark green sections left and the bowl gets a smooth appearance. |
| 15 | Rub these newly cut sections with lemon. |
| 16 | Cut each artichoke heart into four, again rubbing cut sections with lemon. |
| 17 | Cut and prepare the remaining artichokes the same way. |
| 18 | peel the potato and cut into sections that seem roughly the same size as the pieces of artichoke heart. |
| 19 | peel the onion and cut it into eight sections. |
| 20 | put the artichoke hearts, potatoes, and onion into prepared liquid and bring to a boil. |
| 21 | Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. |
| 22 | Remove a piece of potato and a piece of artichoke. |
| 23 | Cut off sections of each and taste for doneness and balance of salt and lemon. |
| 24 | You may add more of either seasoning at this time if you wish. |
| 25 | Cover and simmer another 3 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. |
| 26 | Uncover and cool the vegetables in the liquid. |
| 27 | You may refrigerate the contents of the pot if you wish. |
| 28 | when serving, remove the cool (or cold) vegetables with a slotted spoon. |
| 29 | Do not serve the liquid. |