Artichokes are one of those foods that have always puzzled me. Who was the first person to see one and say, “hey, I want to eat that!”? They cannot be eaten raw, so who first though to cook one? When you cut them open there is a fuzzy center that you cannot eat, that covers the delicious heart. And then there is the eating of the leaves. Looking at all of this, I am really amazed and thankful that someone took the time to figure these suckers out. There is little better than a grilled artichoke in the summer. However, will a little preparation, you can enjoy the awesomeness that is a grilled artichoke.
Grilling one whole does not really work without some serious prepartion and attention (I have lost many an artichoke to the fire gods). When I first attempted to grill an artichoke, I simply cut it in half, scraped out the fuzzy part and put in on the grill. In no time I had a blackened artichoke that was hard as a rock. So, I did some research and leaned I needed to steam or boil the artichoke first. Sort of like par-baking a pie to finish it later. On my next try, I prepped the artichokes, steamed them and then grilled them. TADA!!!! You can eat these plain or try our chipotle aioli for dipping.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes to steam and 8 minutes to grill
Servings: 4-8
Ingredients:
4 globe artichokes
2 lemons
1 stick vegan butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Fill a large pot with water. Slice one lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the water. You will use this for holding the artichokes after they are prepped, before cooking them.
2. Using a serrated knife, cut ¼ inch off the stem of one artichoke. Rub the cut end with lemon. Now, using the same knife, cut off and discard the top 1/3 of the artichoke. Using kitchen shears, cut off and discard the spiny tips of the remaining leaves. Rub all the cut ends with lemon. Slice the artichoke in quarters. Rub all cut sides with lemon. Using a paring knife, cut out the purplish inside leaves and the fuzzy “choke”. Again, rub all the cut sides with lemon. Place the prepared artichoke quarter in the bowl of lemon water. Repeat this the remaining 3¾ artichokes.
3. Put a steamer in a large pot. Add about 1 inch of water, cover and bring to a boil. Add the artichokes and the lemons you used to rub the cut edges, cover and steam for 45 minutes, or until you can easily pull off a leaf from one of the artichokes and it is tender enough to eat.
4. Immediately but the artichokes into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain and thoroughly dry the artichokes. Set aside until ready to grill.
5. While the artichokes are steaming, prepare the basting sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine.
6. When you are ready to grill, heat your grill to high. Brush each artichoke inside and out with the garlic-butter sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the place the artichokes on the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Baste them each time to turn them over.
7. Remove from the grill and serve.
Grilled artichokes served with grilled teriyaki tofu, grilled asparagus, grilled onions and grilled sweet potatoes.
