This is a quick and simple appetizer or snack that is adapted from a blog I found long ago (and lost the link, my apologies to the original writer!)

Artichokes are seasonal, usually available in spring and fall in the US as they’re mostly sourced from California and harvested twice per year. Towards the end of each season you can usually find them on a good sale at the grocery store, then it’s time to indulge!

Artichokes were a rare treat when I was growing up, due to the cost, but once those sales hit we’d stock up and have some excellent steamed artichokes with garlic butter. These days, though, I prefer roasting them with garlic and lemon then dipping them in garlic mayo (or aoli, for the fancy folks.)

I’ve written this for one artichoke, as I often just toss one in the oven for an afternoon treat on a challenging work day. But it easily scales to multiple artichokes, just add 5-10 minutes cooking time per additional artichoke. And more garlic, of course!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Large Artichoke
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
  • Olive oil
  • 1/2 Lemon
  • Sea salt

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 425
  • Cut the top and stem off the artichoke; also trim the pointy tip off all the leaves
  • Spread the artichoke open slightly at the top, then tuck the halves of garlic in
  • Smear olive oil on a large piece of heavy tin foil
  • Place the artichoke in the center of the piece of tin foil
  • Squeeze the lemon over the artichoke
  • Sprinkle sea salt over artichoke
  • Wrap the artichoke in foil, sealing tightly
  • Place the artichoke in a pan and roast at 425 for about an hour and 15 minutes

Here’s what your prepped artichoke will look like just before closing the foil. Notice the flat top on all the surrounding leaves, where the pointy top has been clipped off:

Garlic Mayo:

To make the garlic mayo dip, smash or mince a small (or not so small) clove of garlic, and mix it into about 1/8 cup mayonnaise or aoli. Chill the mixture while the artichoke roasts

Eating artichokes:

If you’ve never eaten an artichoke before, there’s a bit of a trick to it: peel one leaf off the roasted artichoke, and you’ll notice the base is a little bit thick with flesh. Dip the thick fleshy base into the mayonnaise, then scrape the flesh and mayo off with your teeth from about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the leaf. Toss the scraped leaf into a discard bowl, then repeat with a new leaf. As you work farther into the artichoke the leaves will become softer and more of each leaf will become edible. Eventually, you’ll reach a point where all that’s left is the “heart” of the artichoke, covered in very thin leaves and some spiky filaments. Peel the thin leaves off and use a knife to carefully separate the filaments, and discard it. Then cut the remaining heart into bite-sized chunks, dip in mayo, and enjoy!

Pictured: a roasted artichoke ready to eat, with garlic mayo and a discard bowl for the finished leaves