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Artichokes with Easy Dipping Sauce
With the COVID-19
disruptions I have been less active with the food blog, and busier cooking for
delivery dinners from our restaurant, Donderos’ Kitchen, in Athens. No home entertaining
or cooking classes during this time has reduced the opportunities for posting
recipes on line. But I explored and learned a lot while trying to create the
dinners we sell and that I expect will start showing up on this blog when I can
scale the recipes down to my target of six servings.
Meanwhile, however, I do some
cooking at home, even if just for Christina and me. Here’s an appetizer I made
today. When I occasionally see large, plump fresh artichokes available at a
price more modest than what has been typical in recent years, I tend to get
some for appetizers at home.
Boiled until tender such
that the leaves (technically petals, since the artichokes are huge thistle
flower buds) pull off easily, the individual leaves are then dipped lightly
into a savory sauce and with the teeth the soft flesh on the upper end of each
leaf is pulled off and the fibrous leaf discarded – ultimately at my house to
the compost heap. When all the edible leaves are removed, pull off the fine
remaining leaves and with a spoon, scoop out the fine fibrous “choke.” Cut the
remaining tender “heart” into four pieces. Dip them in the sauce and enjoy
possibly the best treat of the artichoke.
The recipe is for two large
artichokes, which will serve as an appetizer for four to six people. Increasing
the quantities is, obviously, easy.
3 tablespoons cider or wine
vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 plump fresh artichokes
Bring plenty of water to
boil in a large pot. Add the vinegar and salt.
Cut off all but about one
inch of the stem of each artichoke and drop the artichokes into the boiling
water. Cover the pot, and turn the artichokes from time to time as they cook. Simmer
for 30-40 minutes, or until a lower leaf can be pulled off fairly easily (use
tongs).
Remove to a plate to cool.
Artichokes can be eaten slightly warm to room temperature or if stored in the
refrigerator warmed up a little from cold. Place on a platter with a shallow
bowl of the dip (see below) nearby, and another bowl for discarding the leaves
into after eating the soft part on the upper part of the leaves.
DIP:
1 small clove of garlic
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon cider or wine
vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more
to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
Peel then partially crush
the garlic clove and rub the inner surface of a small mixing bowl well with the
garlic flesh. Discard the remnants of the garlic.
In the garlic-rubbed bowl, place
the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well until smooth.
Taste, and add a little salt if desired. Transfer sauce to a small shallow bowl
for dipping the artichoke leaves.
