Roasted Baby Artichokes

As you can imagine after my Memorial Day fat-stravaganza I’ve been preparing on the light side this week and spending a lot of time browsing the vegetable isles.  Roasted baby artichokes have appeared on my menu.

I can’t tell you how many times I passed this beautiful and mysterious display of  “baby artichokes” wanting to bring them home and swaddle them in some sort of sauce, but honestly I didn’t have the foggiest idea how to prepare them.

By luck, I ran across an article and recipe for them in Bon Appetit Magazine and b-lined it up to Whole Foods to grab the next to last package of these adorable little veggies.

But what are baby artichokes? Bon Appetit tells me that baby artichokes aren’t babies at all but are full-grown veggies that are found on the lower part of the plant.  They are more tender and easier to clean than their big brothers.

So let’s get started.

Bring large saucepan of salted water to boil. Fill large bowl with cold water and squeeze juice from one lemon into water.

Working with one artichoke at a time, pull off all dark green outer leaves until only tender inner yellow leaves remain.

Cut off top tip of artichoke.

Cut off stem and trim around stem base of artichoke.

Cut artichoke lengthwise in half and immediately drop into lemon water to prevent discoloration. Repeat with remaining artichokes.

In the meantime, cut the tough ends off a one pound bunch of asparagus.

Drain artichokes then add to saucepan of boiling water.  Blanch 3 minutes.  Drain again.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil.  Place artichokes on one and asparagus on the other. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast asparagus for about 8 minutes and artichokes for about 15.

• Whisk mayonnaise, oil, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon peel in small bowl to blend. Season aioli to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

With the aioli in the middle I arranged the artichokes, asparagus some sliced yellow bell pepper and some cold boiled shrimp.  This is a great aioli recipe and a fresh and delicious start to the week.

If you’re looking for more recipes using artichokes, don’t miss this one for Grilled Artichokes with Spicy Aioli

Roasted Baby Artichokes, and Fresh Vegetables, Cold Boiled Shrimp with Aioli Sauce…

It’s Just What The Doctor Ordered After Memorial Day.