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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

In This Month's F&W: Artichokes with Smoked-Herb Mayonnaise

I love a steamed artichoke! It seems to me such an elegant thing to eat and you have to know how to eat one... I came across this recipe in this month's Food & Wine and (being the non-cook that I am) wondered: Can I have a cocktail party based around just this one dish? 

Artichokes with Smoked-Herb Mayonnaise
4 servings

"You can 'turn' the artichokes, but that's a bit fancy and laborious," says Richard Blais about the chef technique of trimming the hearts down. It's much easier to served the steamed artichokes whole; their nutty flavor is especially delicious with the smoky, herb-flecked mayonnaise. 

Ingredients: 

4 large artichokes, stems trimmed
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon smoked sea salt
¼ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
Hot sauce
Freshly ground pepper

  • Set a steamer basket in a large pot over ½ inch of boiling water. Arrange the artichokes, stem side down, in the basket. Cover and steam over moderate heat until a a knife easily pierces the stems, about thirty minutes. Transfer the artichokes to a platter.
  • In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, dill, capers, lemon zest and juice, salt and paprika. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and season the mayonnaise with pepper. Serve the artichokes warm or lightly chilled with the mayonnaise.

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