I love the shared ritual of eating artichokes – tearing off the petals one by one and scraping away the small portion of tender flesh with your teeth. They make a lovely starter served with hollandaise, brown butter or this light, zingy vinaigrette.
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 6 as a starter
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large artichokes
- 2 tbsp salt
- Shallot Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp very finely chopped shallot or spring onion white
- ¼ cup boutique extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
- Trim the stem from each artichoke and remove the tough outer layer of petals at the base. If not cooking at once, place trimmed artichokes in a bowl of water mixed with 2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar. This will help to prevent browning.
- When ready to cook, place artichokes in a large pot, cover with water and add salt. Boil until they are very tender and the petals can easily be pulled off (about 15-20 minutes, depending on their size). Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain thoroughly and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- To make Shallot Vinaigrette, shake all the ingredients together in a small jar.
- Place artichokes on a serving platter or individual plates and gently press down on top to open out the petals into a flower shape.
- Drizzle with half the dressing and place the rest in a small bowl for dipping. To eat, pull off petals and scrape the soft part from the base of the petals with your teeth.
- As you get towards the heart, cut or scrape out the prickly choke in the centre and eat the tender heart.