Lemony Skewered Artichokes Recipes

STEAMED ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON BUTTER

Steps:

• Pull off any brown or very tough outer leaves from one artichoke. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top 1 inch of artichoke, then rub with the cut side of the lemon. Use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the pointy tops off the remaining outer layer of leaves. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the stem down to its tender pale-colored core; immediately rub the stem with a lemon half. Use your fingers to separate the center leaves to expose the fuzzy pale choke sitting on top of the heart. Use a grapefruit spoon (or other spoon) to scoop out the choke, and rub a little lemon juice over the exposed flesh. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
• Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water, place a steamer basket inside, and bring water to a simmer. Place the artichokes bottoms down on the rack, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer over low heat until you can easily pull off an artichoke leaf, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the steamer basket and transfer to a serving platter.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Slowly whisk in butter. To serve, have everyone pull off the leaves and dunk the meaty bottoms into the lemon butter, swirling to mix butter with each dip (the butter will separate as it sits).

ARTICHOKE & LEMON PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a 6-qt. stockpot three-fourths full with water; add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, 1-2 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., In same pot of water, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add artichoke hearts; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add to pasta., Add asparagus, goat cheese, parsley, lemon peel, lemon juice and the remaining salt and oil; toss to combine, adding enough reserved pasta water to coat. Heat through. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

GRILLED GARLIC ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze the juice from one lemon wedge into the water. Trim the tops from the artichokes, then cut in half lengthwise, and place halves into the bowl of lemon water to prevent them from turning brown.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
• Add artichokes to boiling water, and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain. Squeeze the remaining lemon wedges into a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
• Brush the artichokes with a coating of the garlic dip, and place them on the preheated grill. Grill the artichokes for 5 to 10 minutes, basting with dip and turning frequently, until the tips are a little charred. Serve immediately with the remaining dip.

STEAMED WHOLE ARTICHOKES WITH SPICY LEMON CAPER MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• Place each artichoke on its side on a flat surface. Use a serrated knife to saw off the stem at the base of the artichoke so it can sit upright on a plate without falling over once cooked.
• In a large pot, add 3 inches of water. Insert a steamer basket. Place the artichokes top-down in the basket, wedged in a single layer. Cover. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 35 minutes. If the pot runs out of water while cooking, simply add more to the bottom.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, capers, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the chives.
• Serve the artichokes with the dipping sauce.

ARTICHOKE ONION SKEWERS WITH A LEMON VINAIGRETTE & AIOLI

Steps:

• Aioli -- In a small container or bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be made the day ahead.
• Vinaigrette -- In a 13x9" glass (no metal) pan, add the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well and set to the side.
• Artichokes and Onions -- These should be thawed, more room temp vs cold where there could be additional liquid in the them. Make sure to dry them off with a paper towel. Cut the artichokes in half, end to end; and skewer 1-3 of the halves alternating with 1-2 of the whole onions, depending on the size of your skewer.
• Marinate -- Add the artichoke and onion skewers in the 13x9" pan with the marinade. When you first put them in the pan, I take a brush and make sure to coat all sides of the skewers. Cover with plastic wrap for 1-8 hours. More time -- more flavor. If you can, half way through marinating, brush them again and roll them over in the pan to cover all the surface of the vegetables.
• Grill -- About 5-6 minutes on each side, on medium heat (a bit off to the side). I brush with the leftover marinade during cooking and grill until golden brown.
• Serve -- Plate along side a bowl of the aioli and a few lemon wedges for a great side dish. They are absolutely delish!
• Marinating time is not included in total prep time. Also note -- I did not soak the skewers. Since these are cooked pretty quickly, I don't find the need to soak them, and they do have some moisture from the marinade. But be careful of flare ups. Make sure to cook off to the side a bit where they don't get any flames.

ROSEMARY-SKEWERED ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, dill, oregano, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. , Using a vegetable peeler, peel bark from the bottom half of each rosemary stem and make a point at each end; soak in water until ready to use. , Drain and discard marinade. On soaked rosemary stems, alternately thread the chicken, artichokes, squash and tomatoes. Position the leaf parts of the rosemary stems so they are outside of the grill cover. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 10-15 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND LEMON

Steps:

• If using fresh artichokes, fill a large bowl with water. Cut 1 lemon in half then squeeze the juice into the water; add the spent lemon halves to the bowl, too.
• Prepare the artichokes one at a time, rubbing them all over with the spent lemon halves as you cut and expose the inner artichoke heart. First, cut off at least 1 inch of the thorny top. Trim the stem near the heart, leaving about 2 inches of stem if possible, then peel off the outer green fiber of the stem. Using your fingers, tear off the tough outer leaves, then switch to a sharp paring or bird's beak knife, when necessary, to shave more inner artichoke leaves until you reach the tender pale green or yellow leaves and create a bulbous shape. Gently open the leaves and remove the choke using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller, then scrape and tear (or slice) the remaining leaves off so that only the bottom remains. Cut the artichoke heart in quarters; put the quarters in the lemon water as you work to prevent discoloration. Discard the rest of the artichoke, leaves and stem, or reserve for another use.
• Pat chicken dry, then season all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook, undisturbed until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate and spoon out about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan, if desired. (You can discard the excess fat or save for another use.)
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, parsley and saffron. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the onion, then stir to combine.
• Add the broth to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the pan skin-side up. Arrange the artichokes between the chicken pieces, cover, and simmer over medium-low until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened and the artichokes slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the juice from half the remaining lemon, taste, and adjust with salt and more lemon juice if needed. Spoon artichokes and pan sauces over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley to garnish, and serve.

LEMON SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Gently pat the artichoke hearts with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Place the artichoke hearts in a mound in the center of the baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt, season with pepper and gently toss to combine. Scatter the artichoke hearts in an even layer and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the hearts and roast for an additional 10 minutes, until browned and a little crisp around the edges.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes or according to package directions.
• While the pasta cooks, in a serving dish large enough to accommodate the spaghetti, add the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the lemon zest; toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil; stir to combine. The mixture should resemble a thick paste.
• Place the serving dish next to the pasta pot. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of it over the Parmesan-lemon mixture; stir to thin out the mixture a little.
• Using tongs, lift out some of the spaghetti (with its cooking water still clinging to it) and transfer to the Parmesan-lemon mixture; quickly toss and drag the spaghetti in a circular motion around the dish to incorporate the sauce. Repeat until you have transferred and tossed all of the spaghetti.
• Add the butter, basil and 1 tablespoon of the pasta water to the spaghetti, and keep tossing until you have a silky sauce clinging to it. Add more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
• Top with the roasted artichokes, a little more black pepper and torn basil, and serve.