Artichokes can be pretty expensive, so this is usually a birthday dinner request or a rare treat, HOWEVER I have found that Costco occasionally carries bags of four for a great price, so keep an eye out.
What You'll Need
Artichoke
Whole raw artichoke
serrated knife
kitchen shears/sharp scissors
baking sheet
steamer (or large pot with steaming basket)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
grill
Skinny Garlic Aioli
2 tbsp PLAIN greek yogurt
2 tbsp LITE mayo
1 clove garlic - minced
salt and pepper
To Prepare Your Artichokes
Trim your stem about 1 - 1 1/2 inches from the base of your artichoke.
Cut about 1 inch off the top, straight through the leaves. I've found that a serrated knife does this job best.
Use the shears to cut off the tips of the leaves. BEWARE: you're cutting these off because they have little spines and they are MEAN.
You'll end up with something like this
I have an AMAZING steamer from Black and Decker. They are very affordable and I use mine almost every day. Mine came from Walmart but I've seen them at target and Bed, Bath and Beyond as well. You can also steam your artichokes by putting a few inches of water in a pot and placing the artichokes in a steamer basket. I usually cut my artichokes in half length wise to use in my steamer, but whole works just as well. Either way you'll be slicing them, I just prefer to do it when the artichoke isn't hot and wet.
Steam for 30 minutes. The steam should easily pierce with a fork when it is done.
Once steamed, cut in half length wise (if you haven't already) and scrape out the "choke" or center of the artichoke. Your goal is to remove all of the fuzzy, hairlike spines in the center, as well as all of the purple leaves. They should easily come out with a spoon.
Drizzle the olive oil and basalmic vinegar on a cooking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the artichokes cut side down to rest for about 1/2 hour.
Heat your grill to medium high and grill cut side down for 5-7 minutes.
To make the aioli, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. The recipe makes 2 servings of about 50 calories each. We ended up dipped everything in the aioli, it was so yummy!
According to myfitnesspal, one large artichoke (heart and leaves) is about 100 calories. They are high in antioxidants, fiber, and are said to aid in digestion and lower cholesterol.
This may be kind of a tricky one for people new to artichokes, so feel free to post questions!
ENJOY!
