Grilled artichokes with spicy lemon aioli, rosemary steamed Colorado new potatoes and lemon pepper flank steak pinwheels.
At my last hair appointment while waiting on my color to process my stylist Charisse asked “Have you ever grilled artichokes?”
“No,” I answered. “I’ve always just thrown them in a pot of boiling water for about 45 minutes and served them with a simple mixture of mayo and curry powder for dipping.”
Adding, “I don’t make them very often because once I’m done with the leaves, I make such a mess dissecting the rest of it…I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted.
Charisse returned “I’ve tried grilling them a couple of times and they’ve come out tough”.
So out came the iPad and we Googled “grilled artichokes”. Don’t you love technology and the fact that you can Google something at the drop of a hat? Of course we found several techniques and recipes which offered us plenty of salon chair quarterbacking opportunities.
“Well that’s not enough cooking time!” Charisse noted about the first result and I agreed.
“Mmm…that sauce sounds good.” I commented on the next.
“Is that an artichoke???” We laughed at the next photo.
“King Soopers was out of artichokes the other day blaming Costco for buying up the whole shipment!” Charisse complained.
“Grill on high???” We scoffed at a plate of charred chokes from the next recipe.
“Did you hear Tom and Katie are getting divorced?” Charisse asked.
“I wonder if it has anything to do with religion?” I speculated.
“Time to rinse,” ordered Charisse and that was that.
Now that I’ve got you on the edge of your seats… 🙂 That evening at home I continued my research, chose instructions that I thought made sense and promptly bought artichokes the next day. The recipe told me to quarter and clean the artichokes before cooking. I was bound and determined to learn how to “clean” and lo and behold the first Googled result was a You Tube video by our very own Chef Mick from Tony’s Market.
Grilled Artichokes with Spicy Lemon Aioli
Easier than you think. Just quarter the artichokes after prepping. Boil them in salted water for 15 minutes. Removed and drain the excess water.
Drizzle them with olive oil and grill over medium heat for 20 minutes turning every once in awhile.
Served them with this spicy lemon aioli for dipping. It was outstanding. We were totally impressed and surprised at the smoky flavor that the artichokes soaked up from grilling. Thanks to Charisse, I’ll be grilling many more.
Looking for more artichoke recipes? Don’t miss this one for Roasted Baby Artichokes.
Grilled artichokes with a wonderful dipping sauce.
- 2 Artichokes prepared according to video
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- sea salt to taste
- pepper to taste
For the Aioli: Mix all ingredients together in a small serving bowl.
For the Artichokes: quarter the artichokes after prepping. Boil them in salted water for 15 minutes. Removed and drain the excess water.
Drizzle them with olive oil and grill over medium heat for 20 minutes turning every once in awhile. Serve with lemon aioli for dipping.
Recipe Video
Grilled Artichokes with Spicy Lemon Aioli…They’re What’s for Dinner.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
July 28, 2012 at 1:43 pmI haven’t grilled them myself, but had them at a restaurant while on our road trip to Florida. They were delicious and I’m sure that yours were as well. Now that I have a recipe…I’ll give them a try.
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:20 amI sure hope they turn out for you Karen. This was a first for me and it seemed easy peasy.
Chris says
July 28, 2012 at 4:27 pmI haven’t grilled artichokes too many times and I have had hit and miss results. You inspire me to give it another shot. The best artichokes I have EVER had were deep fried artichoke hearts. OMG those things are orgasmic.
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:20 amChris, these weren’t even very good artichokes. I was thinking about throwing them out and looking for better. They turned out fine. I’ve had deep fried in California at that artichoke restaurant. I agree. OMG
pam says
July 28, 2012 at 7:20 pmI can’t believe I’ve never even cooked an artichoke!!
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:19 amWHAAAAAAT? 🙂
Vickie says
July 28, 2012 at 9:05 pmLOL, what a fun story – and spot on!. I am excited to read another way to prepare artichokes. Adding Sriracha to the aioli sauce sounds so good it made my mouth water. Are you going to dish about the pinwheel?
p.s. that bowl is fabulous. 🙂
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:18 amNow that I know how to handle those difficult chokes, I’ll be trying your stuffed ones.
Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies says
July 28, 2012 at 10:48 pmMy kids have been asking me when we would have artichokes again. They love them, too. I like this new recipe of yours. I preboil and stuff mine. They are finished in the oven. Grilling sounds much better. Thanks, Lea Ann.
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:18 amMy friend Vickie stuffs hers. Now that I’m an artichoke prep expert I’ll be more inclined to experiment. 🙂
Cathy @ Noble Pig says
July 28, 2012 at 11:03 pmI love grilled artichokes and yes it’s amazing how the flavor carries through, the same with grilled broccoli. And agree with the sriracha in the aioli…perfection!
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:17 amI agree Cathy. I think more so than any other food I’ve grilled. The aioli is incredible, in a simple sort of way.
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
July 29, 2012 at 5:33 amLooks delicious Lea Ann. I can’t wait to pass this on to my artichoke loving BIL. I’m saying thanks for him in advance.
Sam
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:17 amThanks Sam! 🙂
dan says
July 29, 2012 at 7:09 amThat was an amusing way to trip into a recipe : )
I’d like to be there if you make them again.
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:16 amYou’re always invited Dan.
Larry says
July 29, 2012 at 9:10 amI thought women only talked about other women at the beauty shop :-). I had high hoped for lots of artichokes to eat this summer, but after growning rapidly for a while our plant has just been sitting there for many weeks and I’m thinking it may be too hot for it. Maybe it will take off as the weather cools in the fall.
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 10:14 amWell, we did that too. You’re growing an artichoke???? That would be great if it did take off. I’m blaming the heat on my slow tomatoes. I’ve only got one little fruit so far. :/
Rocky Mountain Woman says
July 29, 2012 at 11:03 amSo, I do the very same thing with the guy who cuts my hair, we talk about food and google food. I can’t wait to show him this post the next time I go in, he’ll get a kick out of it.
Lovely site! Great recipes! Yay! A new cyberfriend….
Lea Ann says
July 29, 2012 at 11:49 amSo glad you stopped by. And yes, I look forward to your posts also. Looks like we have similar tastes in food. That rack of lamb of yours looked incredible. And LOL, I can just see you and the hairdresser enjoying the banter. 🙂
Nancy says
July 29, 2012 at 2:54 pmA. looks good.
B. Love the bowl.
C. You color your hair??? 😉
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:11 pmA. Thanks
B. I love that bowl too, a gift from Sean.
C. Bitch! 🙂
Nancy says
July 30, 2012 at 5:03 pmA. You’re welcome.
B. Leave it to Sean!
C. LOLOL!!
Lea Ann says
August 2, 2012 at 11:29 amLOL, I knew you’d like that.
Velva says
July 29, 2012 at 6:39 pmTechnology is a wonderful thing…..I can’t the number of times I have googled- Like you, I do it at the drop of the hat.
I have shied away from preparing artichokes myself because I can’t seem to get it right. Looks like you nailed it.
Awesome.
Velva
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:11 pmWell I don’t know if I nailed it, but we sure did like them Velva. I’ll declared “nailed” when I’ve had several successes. Always good to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.
Barbara says
July 30, 2012 at 6:25 amI do love them steamed and scraping that tender meat off the leaves is soooo delicious. Definitely will be trying them with your Aioli recipe next time.
Artichokes can be a royal pain to prepare and they discolor so fast unless you’ve got lemons handy. I’ve never grilled them though.
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:09 pmBarbara, we loved that aioli. Let me know what you thing.
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
July 30, 2012 at 7:10 amWe love grilled artichokes! The vendor in the booth next to mine at the farmers’ market sells them and I bring several home almost every Saturday. Love that aioli!
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:08 pmMan I wish we had a vendor at our Farmer’s Market. hmmmmm…. maybe an opp for me. 🙂
Karen says
July 30, 2012 at 11:25 amNot everybody can work a hair appointment into a food post 🙂 Cute… I love to grill artichokes, but I boil them whole (about 40 miinutes or so) halve them, get rid of the spiny stuff, then brush them with olive oil and balsamic and grill them for just a few minutes. Easy peasy. The aioli sounds good with the srichacha in it!
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:07 pmI am loving that balsamic idea! I’ll be trying that next time.
Jenn's Food Journey says
July 30, 2012 at 3:18 pmOooohh… I’m SO glad you posted this recipe. I am been contemplating grilling artichokes myself but just wasn’t really sure how to go about it! Thank you!!!
Lea Ann says
July 30, 2012 at 4:07 pmLet me know how they turn out Jenn.
Joanne says
July 30, 2012 at 6:01 pmI really wish I had a grill after reading this! That aioli sounds like the perfect accompaniment.
Lea Ann says
August 2, 2012 at 11:28 amDo you have a grill pan Joanne? No smoky flavor with that idea, but it might carmelize some of those flavors in.
Susan says
July 30, 2012 at 6:39 pmI’ve never even thought of grilling grilled artichokes! They are one of my all-time favorite veggies and I love the mess I make when getting down the the ‘gold’ at the bottom. Would love to try the method and that lovely lemon aioli.
Lea Ann says
August 2, 2012 at 11:27 amThanks Susan. I don’t think I had thought about grilling either, until Charisse said something. I really liked that aioli.
Chilebrown says
August 1, 2012 at 12:38 pmYou have stumbled upon a secret that us California natives do not share very often. We are very near the artichoke capital of the world. When in season we boil the artichokes first. We then half or quarter and remove the choke. It is a little easier that way. We then marinade them in an Italian dressing made with balsamic vinegar and lots of garlic. Grill over medium fire. OH YEAH!!!!
Lea Ann says
August 2, 2012 at 11:26 amI’m glad you left this comment. I like the idea of boiling first, seems easier. Italian Dressing with Balsamic Vinegar????? LOVE that.
Ambra says
August 5, 2012 at 3:11 amYou are indeed near the artichoke capital of the world. I wrote about it in my latest blogpost ‘Artichoke Love: You Gotta Have Heart.
vianney says
August 9, 2012 at 1:25 amI love that you pulled out you ipad…. cute story!!
Lea Ann says
August 9, 2012 at 1:25 pm🙂
Kim - Liv Life says
May 10, 2013 at 1:05 pmThanks for the link!! Loving the information as well as the aioli. Sriracha makes everything better!!
Lea Ann says
May 11, 2013 at 5:57 amYou’re welcome Kim. I’m going to try your version also.