Steamed Artichokes
We fight over these artichokes in my house. If it were up to Catherine, she'd scarf down every last petal and the entire heart. We're not big on stuffing or smothering ours with things like cheese, butter or breadcrumbs but prefer steaming them with olive oil, garlic and lemon and serving them with a roasted garlic vinaigrette. I swear I got the recipe from my friend George, but he claims not. Maybe I had something similar at a restaurant long ago and loved them so much that I came home and copied the recipe. (I do that a lot.) What I do know is I've been making artichokes this way for well over 15 years, and we never tire of their deliciously unique taste. If you haven't made artichokes before, watch this video on how to prep them before cooking. If you need a lesson on how to eat an artichoke, follow these steps: Pull off a leaf, dip it in the vinaigrette, place it in your mouth (curved side down), bit down and pull through teeth to remove the soft, lower portion. Discard and move onto the next until all of the petals are removed. Then take a knife and scrape out and toss the fuzzy part (the "choke") covering the heart. Then cut the heart into bite-size pieces, dip in the vinaigrette and enjoy!
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 large artichoke, trimmed (as described in video link above)
1 large garlic clove, crushed
Quarter of lemon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Vinaigrette Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, unpeeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Place 2-3 inches of water in saucepan. Add 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lemon (first squeeze it and then drop it into water).
Bring to a boil, add artichoke (upright) and turn heat down to medium. (You can also place the artichoke in a steamer basket, but I prefer to place it right in the water.) Cover and cook for about 40 minutes. (Check occasionally to make sure there's at least an inch of water remaining in the pot. Add more, if needed.)
Meanwhile, roast other garlic glove in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until skin turns lightly golden. Remove, let cool, and peel.
Add vinegar to bowl, slowly add 3 tablespoons of olive oil while whisking together. Add roasted garlic clove and smash with fork into dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When artichoke is ready, remove with tongs and serve with vinaigrette.
