Roasted Artichoke Stuffed with Garlic and Sage

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice off the stem and top 1/3 of the artichokes. Immediately rub the choke all over with lemon and oil.

Next, press a garlic clove into the center of each artichoke. Season with salt and pepper. Place sage on the top and wrap in tinfoil.

Place artichokes in the oven, stem side down, for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.

For the dipping sauce (optional), remove the garlic cloves from the artichoke, combine with sage, leftover lemon juice, olive oil or unsalted organic butter.

Notes:
1. I would recommend using clarified butter or ghee since we are roasting these artichokes at a high temperature and olive oil has a low smoke point. You can also use safflower oil or coconut oil.
2. If you want a faster cook time, use baby artichokes instead; they only need 1 hour to roast. The small artichokes are also nice because they don’t have a “choke” which makes them easier for kids to eat. When you get to this part, scrape it out with a spoon before eating the heart of the artichoke, which is the best part.
3. The artichoke heart is the meatiest and largest edible part of the plant connected to the stem. The choke is the fuzzy prickly part of the artichoke located beneath the leaves at the core—it is inedible.