Artichokes are one of my absolute FAVORITE vegetables: not only are they incredibly tasty, but they're a blast to eat! From plucking each leaf from the choke to scraping off the good stuff with your teeth to digging through the furry parts to get to the tastiest morsel...how often do you get free reign to play with your food after the age of 8? Sadly though, artichokes are widely underused, and many folks don't feel comfortable buying them fresh because they're not quite sure how to cook them. Roasting them (especially in this marinade) not only maximizes their natural deliciousness, but gives them a delightful texture too. Bonus: when these are in your oven, your kitchen will smell AMAZING!
What you'll need:
- 4 fresh artichokes
- the juice of two fresh lemons
- 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 15 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. After thoroughly washing the artichokes, slice off the top 1/4-1/3 of each artichoke (this part is inedible, so you're not wasting anything). Then, slice the stems off right at the base so the artichokes can sit up by themselves.
To prepare the marinade, mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper with a whisk until thoroughly combined. First, set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade for dipping later on. Evenly divide the remaining marinade between the four artichokes and be sure to thoroughly coat every surface, inside and out (I find it works best to spoon the marinade onto the top of the artichokes and then use a basting brush to work the sauce deep into every crevice). Once they are suitably coated with the marinade, wrap each artichoke tightly in its foil square. Place the foiled artichokes on a cookie sheet to catch the juices, and roast them for one hour. When they are finished, remove the foil and serve immediately with the remainder of the marinade for dipping. Enjoy!
