Grilled Artichokes

Ingredients:

• Fresh Whole Artichokes, cut in half
• A drizzle of Olive Oil
• Garlic Aioli

Using a sharp knife, cut the artichoke in half lengthwise. Then cut the tops off of the artichoke, about one inch. Using a vegetable peeler, trim the outer layer of the stem off. Put a steamer basket inside a skillet or pan and add about a 1/2 inch – an inch of water depending on your steamer basket’s height.

Lay the artichokes down on the steamer basket and bring the water to a boil. Cover and let steam for about 15 minutes. Check them and flip them over to the other side. Cover and finish steaming about 10 more minutes, or until when the heart is pierced with a knife, it softened. I’m sure you could do this in an air fryer, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I’ll be sure to report back when I do.

Take the artichokes out of the steamer basket and drizzle them with olive oil on the cut side. While grilling your meats or chicken, put the artichokes on the grill. Grill on each side until there is color and the outer leaves are crispy, about 15 minutes.

Take them off of the grill and scrape out the “choke” part. I use a grapefruit spoon because it helps grab the stickery hair like layer guarding the heart of the artichoke. It is inedible, so make sure you don’t skip this step!

Now the artichoke is ready to eat. You take each leaf and dip the bottom of it into clarified butter or a garlic aioli. The bottom part of the leaf is edible and delicious. After you finish with all of the leaves, you’ll cut the heart and stem into sharable bites or you can eat it all yourself! The warmed heart has a slight grill taste and is the perfect appetizer or side dish to any outdoor grilling you may do.

Tip: If you don’t want to make your garlic aioli, Stonewall kitchen has a delicious one that you can buy near the mayo in your grocery store. Yum!