Steamed Artichokes with Green Garlic Aioli Recipe
By
Kate Ramos
Artichokes are best in simple preparations, with nothing to cover up their delicate flavor; here we steam them in lemon– and bay leaf–flavored water. Serve the artichokes whole and let your guests peel off the leaves, using them as edible scoops to dip in the Green Garlic Aioli.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large artichokes (about 1 pound)
- 1 medium lemon, halved
- 1 medium dry bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Green Garlic Aioli
INSTRUCTIONS
- 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.
Actually, I was talking about preferring Butter for nutritional reasons. Either way, no biggie.
I am not a Vegetarian, but I did want to give one rec for someone not using butter (And, I am probably telling you something you already know, but): Coconut Oil.
As long as you don't buy into all of that Saturated Fat nonsense, it is delicious and very healthy, as well as being shelf-stable.
...+READ
Actually, I was talking about preferring Butter for nutritional reasons. Either way, no biggie.
I am not a Vegetarian, but I did want to give one rec for someone not using butter (And, I am probably telling you something you already know, but): Coconut Oil.
As long as you don't buy into all of that Saturated Fat nonsense, it is delicious and very healthy, as well as being shelf-stable.
It is very high in Lauric Acid which is really only found, otherwise, in Mothers Milk. It is also known to have many Anti-Carcinogenic properties.
Again, thanks for the recs.-COLLAPSE
Re: baby vs. regular artichokes, I love 'em all! No need to go out of your way. They're different experiences. And I'm not a big lover of Whole Foods although I do shop there. I like Trader Joe's much more, and small local stores even better. But I'm a student, and need to shop where I can afford to, so Trader Joe's is my 1st choice.
As for butter vs. margarine, I know, I know, butter is,...+READ
Re: baby vs. regular artichokes, I love 'em all! No need to go out of your way. They're different experiences. And I'm not a big lover of Whole Foods although I do shop there. I like Trader Joe's much more, and small local stores even better. But I'm a student, and need to shop where I can afford to, so Trader Joe's is my 1st choice.
As for butter vs. margarine, I know, I know, butter is, culinarily speaking, better. You get no argument from me there.
But I'm a vegetarian and have chosen not to eat or to use any animal products at all, to the extent that this is possible, so I work with what is available to me. :-D
Seriously speaking, I urge everyone to at least try the Earth Balance and Soy Garden. (EB is more like salted butter and SG more like unsalted.) If you gotta use margarine, then these are among the best, both health-wise and taste-wise. If you ever have to cook for a vegetarian or someone who is otherwise not eating butter, I think you may find them not so bad as alternatives. They are unhydrogenated and cholesterol free, both bonuses. I believe they freeze well so it's not hard to keep them on hand just in case.
Just a side note, while the Smart Balance people make both of these, Smart Balance itself is not vegetarian, so if you're cooking for one of us lot, the EB and SG are the better choices.-COLLAPSE
Great. I see the baby ones at Whole Foods, but it is always a little far for me.
Oh, man, do not get me started on margarine versus butter. I have a real rant for you.
Thanks for the recs.
DougRisk, I'm sure this was the problem, plus perhaps not enough time. I stick a bamboo skewer clean through the widest part of the artichoke to gauge "doneness."
I just like them boiled or steamed. I've never gotten the point of stuffing them, but could see doing that with the baby ones.
By the way Trader Joes has been carrying the baby ones lately. Seapoint Farms website might also be able...+READ
DougRisk, I'm sure this was the problem, plus perhaps not enough time. I stick a bamboo skewer clean through the widest part of the artichoke to gauge "doneness."
I just like them boiled or steamed. I've never gotten the point of stuffing them, but could see doing that with the baby ones.
By the way Trader Joes has been carrying the baby ones lately. Seapoint Farms website might also be able to tell you where you can get their ones locally.
For dipping, I either use Earth Balance brand "Soy Garden" unhydrogenated margarine in place of butter, or a little Vegenaise brand vegan mayo with a bit of Madras brand curry poweder and a little salt and pepper, for dipping.
I usually cook more than I need and have them cold for lunch the next day. It really impresses people at school far more than it should when I break out an artichoke and a little pot of Vegenaise. :-D
I'm going to try this recipe with the lemon and spices, so we'll see. I'm guessing the Aioli has eggs. I will check, but I will probably just spice up some Vegenaise appropriately.-COLLAPSE
oh, and 45 mins for steaming might be perfect.
"Second, the recipe specifies that you should put the artichokes in the steamer stem up. This translates to top (pointy) side down. This way the steam can get in between all the leaves much easier. DougRisk, can this have been your problem?"
You could be right on about that. The one time that I steamed them, they were "base down, pointy side up" if you know what I mean.
About the trimmed...+READ
"Second, the recipe specifies that you should put the artichokes in the steamer stem up. This translates to top (pointy) side down. This way the steam can get in between all the leaves much easier. DougRisk, can this have been your problem?"
You could be right on about that. The one time that I steamed them, they were "base down, pointy side up" if you know what I mean.
About the trimmed bases: I also love the stems (peeled of the fibrous part), but I always cut them off before cooking just so I can fit them all (2 Artichokes with 2 stems) in the pot.
Other than Baby Artichokes which are a little hard for me to get, what is your favorite preparation? Boilde? Steamed? ROASTED???-COLLAPSE
First, this recipe suggests trimming the base - this is heresy to the true artichoke lover! The bottom and stems are delicious!! You're missing out if you trim any more than the oxidized or damaged end of stem. As for trimming any part of the precious bottom, why?? Just so it'll stand up straight? Not this artichoke lover!
Second, the recipe specifies that you should put the artichokes in the...+READ
First, this recipe suggests trimming the base - this is heresy to the true artichoke lover! The bottom and stems are delicious!! You're missing out if you trim any more than the oxidized or damaged end of stem. As for trimming any part of the precious bottom, why?? Just so it'll stand up straight? Not this artichoke lover!
Second, the recipe specifies that you should put the artichokes in the steamer stem up. This translates to top (pointy) side down. This way the steam can get in between all the leaves much easier. DougRisk, can this have been your problem? If they don't stay up you can prop them up with small ceramic bowls or use skewers to keep them oriented properly.
Third, they didn't even mention my favorites, which are baby artichokes. I only trim damaged leaves from the very outer ring or two. Once you get past the tougher outer leaves to ones that don't have the little thorns at the end you can simply pop the entire rest of the bud in your mouth! Wonderful!-COLLAPSE
I steam them - usually takes about 45 minutes. You can tell they're done when the inner leaves pull out easily.
I followed a similar recipe that had me steam Artichokes, covered, for 30 minutes. They were no where near done. A few of the outer leaves had tender meat, but that was it. When I usuall prepare Artichokes, I follow Jacques Pepin's advice and boil them, witha rolling boil, for about 45 minutes.
Anybody else? Steaming? How long does it usually take for you?
p.s. I have never done it witha...+READ
I followed a similar recipe that had me steam Artichokes, covered, for 30 minutes. They were no where near done. A few of the outer leaves had tender meat, but that was it. When I usuall prepare Artichokes, I follow Jacques Pepin's advice and boil them, witha rolling boil, for about 45 minutes.
Anybody else? Steaming? How long does it usually take for you?
p.s. I have never done it witha Bay leaf. That sounds like a great idea.-COLLAPSE