Grilled Artichokes

My family went to Monterey and Big Sur for the weekend. Northern California beaches have so much character to them. They are much rockier and colder than their southern counterparts. There are always tide pools to be found, chalk full of hermit crabs, anemones, sea stars and sculpins. Ok, the sand might not be as soft or the sun not as hot...or even out at all, but the beaches of northern California has this adventurous spirit about them that I find appealing.

On our way home, we took a stop in Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the World. Now, that is a huge claim to fame. They take this member of the thistle family very seriously. They even have an artichoke queen; the first one was none other than Marilyn Monroe. I told you, serious.

We grabbed a couple dozen and headed to a family barbecue in Redwood City. We had so much food: delicious ribs (my Uncle Nelson's specialty, the best I've ever had), tri tip, corn bread, classic potato salad, grilled eggplant, portobellos, and peppers, and corn rice. It was one of those times where I wish I had several extra stomachs and a plate the size of a trashcan lid.

I made some grilled artichokes which I hoped were on par with the rest of the food.

The Ingredients

5 medium sized artichokes

2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

The Method

First thing is to prep the artichokes. First, pull off the bottom leaves. Then, cut the stem and top 1/4 of the artichoke off with a sharp knife.

With kitchen shears, cut the remaining thorns of the leaves. This is all done to make the artichoke easier to eat.

Steam the artichokes to par cook them for about 10-15 minutes until they are almost done. If you want steamed artichokes which is the more normal way of eating them, let them steam for about 20-45 minutes depending on size. If they are done, a knife will slide in and out of the heart pretty easily.

To make grilled artichokes, take them out early and quarter them. Scrape out the inedible choke with a spoon and set the quarters aside.

Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl; mix in the minced garlic, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Whisk this lemony vinaigrette together.

Toss in the artichokes and let them marinade for about 10 minutes if you can.

Place on the grill to finish cooking for about 4-5 minutes. You can also broil them in the oven to finish them if you would like to.

Eat them as you would a normal artichoke, scrape the fleshy part of the leaf with your teeth discard the leaf, and then eat the heart. This will serve around 8-10 people.

If you are making the steamed artichokes, remember to scrape out the choke with a spoon.Feel free to cut them in half or eat whole.

My favorite dipping sauce is mayonnaise or lemon juice and olive oil.

Recipe by Spencer Huey