Grilled Artichokes

This is one of my absolute favorite summertime things to make on the BBQ! This grilled artichoke recipe is one of the best vegetables to make on the grill. Enjoy with a lemon butter or dill aioli dipping sauce.

Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 25-28 minutes | Total time: ~50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 artichokes

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1½ Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped

• ½ Tbsp. salt

• 2 tsp. pepper

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. onion powder

Tools:

• Steamer insert

• Kitchen shears

Steaming Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of water on medium-high heat and place steamer insert in the pot with a lid.

• Working quickly, clean artichoke. Clean only the artichoke you will be immediately putting in the steamer; leave other artichokes whole until you’re ready to use the steamer for additional artichokes. *See notes on how I clean artichokes.

• Place artichoke halves in the steamer and steam (covered) for 15-18 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke.

• Remove from steamer and cool slightly, until you can safely handle them.

Seasoning Directions:

• Using a brush, brush olive oil on each side. Be sure to try to get oil underneath the layers of leaves.

• Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder together and sprinkle on both sides. Be sure to also lightly season between each layer of leaves if you can. You might not need to use all of the seasonings, based off the size of the artichokes.

• Sprinkle each side with parsley as desired.

Grilling Directions:

• Preheat grill to medium, around 400°.

• Grill artichokes, 5-7 minutes per side, turning twice on each side (you’ll get great grill marks that way!).

• Remove from grill and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

*How to Clean Artichokes

There are a few different ways to clean artichokes, but I’ve found this way to be simple and fast!

1. Remove the spiky tops of the artichoke leaves by cutting ¾ - 1 inch of each leaf off, from the bottom of the base to ~2 inches on the top.

2. Cut the top of the artichoke off, around ~2 inches.

3. Remove any leaves on the stem.

4. Cut 1 - 2 inches of stem off.

5. Working quickly, cut artichoke in half lengthwise and drizzle lemon juice over the cut side. The lemon juice will help slow the artichoke from browning.

6. Take a teaspoon to remove the fibrous choke from the base of the vegetable. Also remove the spiky (typically purple) leaves attached to the choke.

7. Drizzle more lemon juice on the cut sides and place in steamer.

Notes:

• Don’t say I didn’t warn you – work quickly once you cut the artichoke in half as it will brown very quickly. If the inside of the artichoke browns too quickly, you can always use a teaspoon to scrape the browning part of the artichoke.

• Serve with a lemon butter or a dill aioli dipping sauce.

• If you want to clean and steam the artichokes now but grill later, you can store cooled artichokes in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

• You can use your oven set at broil in lieu of a grill. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side on a tin-foil lined cookie sheet.

• Ever in the Orange County area (or wherever there is a Hillstone Group restaurant)? Try these artichokes at Houston's, Gulf Stream, Bandera, or any other Hillstone Group restaurant - you will NOT be disappointed! (This 'choke recipe is inspired by the recipe at Houston's.)