I am all about Family Dinners right now.
The reason, of course, is that my kids are all back in my area code and they’re all loving the idea of having regular big family meals together. (Full disclosure: I have been selling them on what a fabulous idea family dinners are for years, but that’s not important right now.)
While I love cooking Cuban, I have to admit there’s nothing better than a big steak and veggie dinner for my group of hungry carnivores omnivores.
I received a beautiful box of yummy produce from my friends over at Melissa’s Produce. And when I say, beautiful, I mean jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, I-can-think-of-a-thousand-ways-to-prepare-and-eat-this-stuff beautiful.
The mangoes we ate pretty much as soon as they ripened and after all the fava bean and chianti jokes, I made some delicious fava beans and asparagus, but that’s not important right now, either.
Today, I want to talk about artichokes.
Growing up Cuban, it was unlikely that we’d find many green things on the table, but as I got older I discovered the beauty that is a well-cooked artichoke with a delicious dipping sauce.
My menu for this particular Darby Family Dinner is as follows:
- Tri tip steak with chimichurri (Chimichurri Sauce of Awesomeness recipe here)
- White Rice (because Cuban!)
- Roasted Artichokes with 3 Dipping Sauces (today’s recipe)
- Green salad
- Fresh bread & butter
(if you’re interested in how this thing unfolds and you follow me, martadarby on Instagram, look for the hashtag #darbyfamilydinner)
Lucy and her husband, Marc acted as Chef and Sous Chef (respectively). And to keep from re-inventing the wheel, I pointed them over to my Pinterest profile to a wonderful article I found on on How to Choose, Trim, Cook, and Eat an Artichoke.
Also, I generally prefer to steam artichokes in my pressure cooker, but I get too much mail from the people who are afraid that pressure cooking means explosions (they don’t!), so I decided to make it easier on you today by roasting the artichokes. You’re welcome.
Oven Roasted Artichokes Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- Globe Artichokes
- Peeled garlic cloves (one per artichoke half)
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400° degrees F.
- Clean the artichokes: Cut the stem. Peel off the outer layers by hand. Cut off about an inch from the top of the artichokes. Use a serrated knife to cut artichokes in half, length-wise. Then, use a sharp pairing knife to remove the fuzzy “choke” from each half.
- As you trim and prepare each artichoke, squeeze the lemon juice to keep them from discoloring.
- Place each artichoke in a square of aluminum foil that’s been slightly oiled with olive oil.
- Season each artichoke half with salt and pepper and place 1 garlic clove in the center of each artichoke half. Drizzle generously with olive oil and close the foil around the artichokes.
- Place the foil packets on a large baking sheet.
- Roast at 400° F for 40 minutes.
When they’re cooked, remove the artichokes carefully from their foil packs using tongs and serve on a platter with the dipping sauces (recipe follows).
Oh! And those little roasted cloves of garlic? Spread them on your bread like butter for an out-of-this-world taste treat. (Don’t ever say I never gave you anything!)
3 Artichoke Dipping Sauces
I totally give kudos to Martha Stewart for these delicious and timeless diping sauces.
• Lemon-Thyme Butter
In a small bowl, stir together 1 stick of butter, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Season with coarse salt and pepper.
• Easy Hollandaise
In a blender, combine 2 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon warm water, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt; blend until frothy. Heat 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbly (do not let brown). With blender running, pour in hot butter in a very thin stream, blending until sauce is thick and emulsified.
• Garlic Mayonnaise
In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise and 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves (a garlic press works best here). Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.
It just doesn’t get any better than this.
