The idea for the steak came first, but when I saw these baby artichokes at the Greenmarket stand of one of my favorite farmers, it was more like the meal had been conceived as a whole.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with these little thistle buds, but this time I was resolved to remove more of the indigestible parts than I’m known to do sometimes, anxious to avoid wasting any of the goodness.

I also decided on a pretty minimal treatment as the proper accompaniment for a luscious steak.

• one one-pound Angus boneless ribeye, “pasture-raised, grain-fed, grain-finished”, from Diamond Creek Ranch in Wilsey, Kansas, via Eataly, brought to room temperature, dried, well-seasoned with freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, placed on a very hot cast iron pan grill for just under 5 minutes on each side, turning 3 times, adding salt once a surface had been seared, removed and arranged on the plates, a little organic lemon juice from Whole Foods Market squeezed on top, sprinkled with some chopped rosemary from Phillips Farm and a bit of finely-chopped green sections of a scarlet, or Japanese scallion, finished with a drizzle of olive oil
• ten or eleven ounces of baby artichokes from Alewife Farm, their outer petals peeled off and discarded, and stems and tips trimmed, halved lengthwise, each tossed into a bowl of cold water and lemon juice while being processed, drained when all had been prepared, added to a layer of olive oil over a medium flame in a large non-reactive pan, in this case, a high-sided ton-lined copper pot, seasoned with salt and pepper, stirred 5 to 7 minutes until slightly browned, two cloves of chopped Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, bit of a small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, chopped, and a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley from S. & S.O. Farm added to the pan, the vegetables transferred to the plates, where they were sprinkled with a few drops of a good Rioja wine vinegar [they can be enjoyed hot, warm, or at room temperature]
• ten small golden cherry tomatoes from Berried Treasures Farm, washed, dried, pierced with sharp point to avoid explosions on the plate, heated inside a small tin-lined copper pan with a little olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and fresh pepper, sprinkled with chopped fresh oregano from Keith’s Farm
• the wine was a Portuguese (Alentejano) red, Herdade dos Grous Alentejano Tinto 2013, from Manley’s Wines in the West Village
• the music was Leif Ove Andnes playing Sibelius piano works