Snap off the tough outer leaves of the artichokes. With a serrated knife, cut off the top third of each artichoke and trim off the base so the vegetables stand upright. Rub lemon over the cut sides to prevent discoloration.
Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water. Squeeze lemon juice from the lemon halves into the water; add bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt; and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and set a steamer basket inside. Reduce heat to low so water is simmering.
Place artichokes in the steamer basket stem side up, cover the pot, and steam until artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold with a dipping sauce.
Beverage pairing: Kalmuck Grüner Veltliner, Austria. All this green—artichokes and green garlic—needs a wine that can handle it. Grüner Veltliner is such a wine, curiously able to reflect and respond to the challenging flavor of artichokes. Grassy, with hints of pepper and flowers, it will be a crisp partner to both the choke and the aioli.
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