Baked and Grilled Artichokes

by Michelle

"A woman is like an artichoke, you must work hard to get to her heart."

 ~Inspector Jacques Clouseau, The Pink Panther

   After nearly two years of posting regularly each and every Sunday, yesterday was the day that was inevitably missed. And for a good reason. It was Mother's Day. As I have written previously, I rarely enjoy eating out on a holiday and prefer to stay at home. We watched a movie in the afternoon in the comfort of our own living room, made perfect popcorn and enjoyed Pineapple Martinis before dinner. For the main event, a Tri-Tip barbecue dinner which featured these flavorful artichokes as a tasty seasonal side dish, which were a huge hit with the family.

Baked and Grilled Artichokes

   For ease in preparation, you can bake the artichokes up to two days ahead, refrigerate, and then finish on the grill.

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 large artichoke per person
1 to 2 lemons
water
olive oil
Diamond® kosher salt or sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
aluminum foil

Garnishes:
Kokkari Dressing
Paleo Aïoli
1 to 2 Tbsps freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 to 2 Tbsps shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

To prevent the cut areas from browning soak the artichokes in lemon water.

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Fill a bowl with water. Juice the lemons and add juice to the water.
3. Cut off top 1-inch of artichoke with a chef's knife. Dip the artichoke in lemon water, shake to remove excess water. With sturdy kitchen scissors, trim the prickly ends from the leaves. Trim the stem to about 1/2-inch. Return the artichoke to the water. Keep the artichokes in the water until ready to bake.
4. Use 2 squares of aluminum foil per artichoke. Before double wrapping, drizzle each artichoke with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Wrap the artichoke twice, sealing edges. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
5. Place all the wrapped artichokes on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for one hour for large artichokes.

6. Carefully unwrap the artichokes, being alert to the escaping steam. Let sit 5 minutes. Insert a large chef knif through the stem and slice slowly through half of the artichoke, then insert the knife again and cut slowly through the other half. With a spoon, remove and discard the fuzzy choke. If you like, at this point, you can proceed with eating the artichoke with the Kokkari Dressing and Paleo Aïoli, or you can let the artichokes rest up to an hour at room temperature and then finish on the grill. You can also refrigerate the artichokes up to two days and then proceed with grilling.

Remove and discard the hairy coke and prickly purple leaves.

7. Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the artichokes with olive oil or garlic oil. Grill each artichoke until heated through and there are grill marks showing on both sides. Remove the artichokes to a serving platter. If desired, drizzle each artichoke with Kokkari Dressing, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with Paleo Aïoli as a dip for the leaves and the heart.

Note: For a more detailed description on how to eat an artichoke, visit here.

Dip the artichoke leaves and slather the heart in creamy Paleo Aïoli.