When I lived in St. Louis, one of my favorite places to go for good, cheap bar food was Dogtown Bar and Grill. It was the kind of place you could go with a group of friends, have everyone order drinks and food, yet no one ever paid more than $10. The perfect place for students. One of my go-to items on the menu was a big plate of battered and fried artichokes. I haven’t lived in St. Louis in over a decade and it has been even longer since I ate at Dogtown. However, the taste for this treat never went away. Finally I decided to make them for myself. With a simple beer batter these are ready to go in minutes. The carbonation in the beer keeps the batter very light. Try using different kinds of beer to vary the flavor. If you would rather use club soda instead of beer, go ahead. Serve these with some lemon wedges and marinara sauce for dipping. Make some for your next party or just as a snack.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2-4

4 cups of oil for frying
2 14oz cans of quartered artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and rinsed
1 cup beer
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges (optional)
Marinara sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Add oil to a pot and heat to 375F.

2. Pat and gently squeeze artichokes dry. Place on paper towel to absorb any excess water.

3. In a large bowl whisk together flour and beer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Batter will be slightly thick.

4. When oil is ready, dip artichokes in the batter, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl and then place carefully in the hot oil. Do not over crowd the pan. You don’t want to drop the temperature too much or have them stick together. Fry 3-5 minutes or until just golden brown, flipping them over if necessary. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

5. Continue until all the artichokes are fried. Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over them and marinara sauce for dipping.