Fresh Artichokes

I never thought I'd make fresh artichokes because it just looked so daunting!! But it turns out not so hard, although a little fiddly. A very impressive starter or tapas dish. You don't get much artichoke heart/meat in each one so economically it's definitely cheaper to buy them in a jar and honestly the taste wasn't so different (except that the jar variety is normally marinated). Found this great YouTube video on how to prep the artichokes.

Fresh Artichokes

Ingredients

2 Artichokes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Aioli sauce for dipping (optional)

Method

Set a large pot of water to boil on the stove while you prepare the artichokes.
Cut the tip off the artichoke and the end of the stem (not all because most of the meat is in the stem).
Cut the artichoke length ways into halves and then quarters. You need a SHARP knife.
Pull out the "flower" in the middle which is a the spiny inedible part, usually pink or red.
Place artichokes in the water and boil for 30 minutes or until tender. You may need to do this in batches.
Drain well and arrange on serving plate.
Drizzle with good quality olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Aioli makes a great dipping sauce!

This is also a great dipping sauce recipe from Platings and Pairings;

Artichoke Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespooon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt

Whisk ingredients together and serve.