Artichokes with Saffron Butter

I have always been hesitant about cooking artichokes however I found that it was in fact easier than I thought. Here it is served with a delicious butter sauce. This dish serves one but feel free to double or triple the ingredients as needed. This recipe contains three foods that are considered to be aphrodisiacs: artichokes, saffron and garlic. 
 

    1 artichoke, trimmed (use a scissors to snip off the tips of the pointed leaves)
    1 lemon
    Water to cover

    Sauce

    ¼ cup butter
    6 saffron threads
    Dash paprika
    1 garlic clove, crushed with a garlic press

1. Heat water in a saucepan or pot large enough to hold enough water to cover the
    artichokes. When boiling add artichoke and the juice from the lemon. Lower
    heat slightly and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

2. Sauce: In a saucepan, heat the butter and add the saffron threads, paprika and
    garlic. Cook just until all the butter has melted. Strain out the saffron threads. 

3. To eat the artichoke, pull off a leaf and dip the base in the garlic butter sauce.
    Then nibble on the base of the leaf, pulling it through your teeth to scrape off the
    edible portion.

    Makes 1 artichoke per person

Here is a list of foods that are considered to be aphrodisiacs:


Anise
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Bananas
Basil
Beef
Beets
Cabbage
Cardamom
Carrots
Celery
Chili Peppers
Chives
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cocoa
Coffee
Coriander
Cucumbers
Dill
Figs
Fish
Garlic
Ginger
Ginseng
Grapes
Green tea powder
Honey
Horseradish
Juniper Berries
Lamb
Licorice
Lobster
Mango
Marjoram
Mint
Morel Mushrooms
Mushrooms
Nutmeg
Onions
Oysters
Papaya
Parsley
Peaches
Peas
Pepper
Pimento
Pineapple
Pomegranates
Pumpkin Seeds
Radishes
Rosemary
Sage
Saffron
Sesame Seeds
Shallots
Shrimp
Spinach
Strawberries
Tea
Tomatoes
Truffles
Turmeric
Vanilla