Boiled Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce

I categorized this as an appetizer as it really does make a great appetizer but our family LOVES it so much it is more often a main course or a side. You obviously don’t need to make six artichokes. That’s how many I make for our family of (catch this!) SIX.

Begin by preparing your artichokes for cooking. Cut off about 1/2 inch of the top of the artichoke (you need a very sharp knife to do this easily). Next hold the artichoke by the stem with the top of the artichoke pointing down at an angle. Slide your knife sideways slicing off all of the pointed leaf tips. Take off the smaller leaves at the very base of the artichoke. Lastly, cut the stem off just below the base of the artichoke. Repeat with each artichoke and then wash them well.

Fill a large pot with water and throw in 5 whole cloves of garlic (you can cut them in half), a few dashes of salt and about 4 Tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. (You can use fresh but it’s not totally necessary here.) Also throw in a few Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Bring it to a boil.

When the water has come to a boil place the artichokes bottom down in the water, cover and let boil over medium-high heat for about 35-40 minutes. (Test for doneness. You want to be able to easily slide a fork into the bottom of the artichokes.)

While it’s cooking make your dipping sauce. In a small bowl (cereal bowl size) place the mayonnaise, the juice of half of a fresh lemon, about 1-2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and several cranks of fresh cracked black pepper. Set this aside.

Using a chopper (or feel free to just mince with your knife but I like my chopper) mince up the remaining 5 or 6 cloves of garlic. Do not be afraid. Just do it. You will thank me. In a skillet heat over medium-high about 1-2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is nice and hot, throw in the minced garlic bits (please note: you do not want to press the garlic. You want it to be tiny chunks.) Stir them with a wooden spoon until they are a nice golden brown. It’s okay if a few of the bits are beginning to go black. You want most of it to be golden brown though. You are going for a nice candied taste so you want to make sure there are no uncooked bits or the sauce will be stronger than you want. Once it is sufficiently browned, scrape the garlic (and any of the olive oil too) right into the mayo mixture. Stir well.

When your artichokes are fork tender take them out, upside down, with a slotted spoon holding them over the pot to drain for several seconds before placing them on a serving platter. You want to drain them sufficiently.

Dip leaves into sauce, eat glorious artichoke “meat” and groan. Nothin’ like it.