Grilled Artichokes with Artichoke Parmigiano Dip

What’s better than grilled Artichokes? Grilled Artichokes with Artichoke dip, to double the pleasure of your thornless thistle. We love a grilled artichoke, so much smokier and more complex than the boiled chokes of yesteryear.

We’ll be honest, however; sometimes this recipe seems a little labor-intensive. When that happens, we only give the full trimming treatment to the 2 artichoke hearts that go in the dip, and simply grill the other artichoke quarters and peel their outer leaves to eat with the dip.
It’s worth taking the time to trim all the chokes down to the heart if you want a truly impressive dish, though. So sweet (and savory) to eat the heart and tender inner leaves whole. The original recipe comes to us from Joshua McFadden, author of the new Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. He has a quite a way with vegetables, and we’re cooking our way through the book, one dish at a time…This page merited a dog-ear, and of course, publication here. (We tinkered with the recipe only the slightest bit.) Enjoy.

Serves 4

Method

PREP THE INGREDIENTS

Zest 2 of the 3 lemons, and set the zest aside. One of these zested halves is for the dip, and one for the artichoke prep; the remaining whole lemon is to be cut into wedges for serving.

Trim the artichokes. Pull and snap off the dark outer leaves of the artichokes, until you reach the pale yellow-green, tender inner leaves.

Slice off the top third of the choke, to remove the sharp tips.
Trim off the very end of the stem, and peel the fibrous outer coating from the rest of the stem with a paring knife or vegetable peeler. Slice the trimmed choke into quarters, lengthwise, and scoop out the hairy center. (If you use a carbon steel knife, the artichoke will discolor, but you’re grilling ‘em anyway, so perhaps it doesn’t matter.)

Squeeze some lemon juice, from one of the zested lemons, into the cavity of each trimmed artichoke quarter, and rub the cut surfaces with a lemon half.

MAKE THE DIP

Put the garlic cloves, the chile flakes, coriander flakes, and vinegar into a large pot, and add 2 quarts of water. Bring this to a simmer and add 2 teaspoons salt. (This is called a court bullion.)

Add 8 of the artichoke quarters; maybe the least shapely ones, since these will be chopped up into the dip. Bring these to a simmer and poach until they are fully tender, 10-15 minutes. You can check for doneness by poking the stem with the tip of a knife, as you would a potato. Drain the cooked hearts and set aside to cool. By the way, the broth that results from this step is amazing; I drank some straight, and used the rest as a soup base. Don’t waste it!

Finely chop the cooked hearts and place them in a large bowl with the crème fraîche, half of the reserved lemon zest, the juice of 1 (zested) lemon, the hot sauce, chives, and Parmigiano. Add salt to taste. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil, and adjust seasoning again; perhaps more salt, hot sauce, or lemon? You’re the boss. Set the dip in the fridge to chill while you grill.

GRILL THE ARTICHOKES

Over the high heat of fresh coals, grill the remaining artichoke quarters, turning so that each side is browned, with a hint of char. (You can do this in a pan with olive oil, too.)

Transfer the grilled hearts to a serving dish. Scatter the parsley leaves and remaining lemon zest over the top, and add a drizzle of olive oil.

Serve warm, or at room temperature, with the artichoke dip and lemon wedges for squeezing.

 

Over to You

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