Funny how the simplest things can evoke the greatest comments! My husband and I love artichokes any way they can be served. Because we eat steamed artichokes so often, I came up with a quick and easy dipping sauce that’s now our absolute favorite.
It’s so easy I can hardly call it a recipe but I just had to share it ‘cuz I’ve noticed something interesting happens every time I serve it. We’ll all be standing around the artichoke bowl, chatting and the novice taster pauses the conversation to ask what the sauce is. I have to laugh! I spend so little time on this and so much more time on other dishes and this is what they ask about!!
The art of the scrape!
Recently our nephew Christopher and his wife Brenda came out for a visit and I pulled out the “artichoke recipe”. They had never eaten one before and Brenda is not a lover of mayonnaise! After some lessons on how to eat one of these odd looking veggies, they both are converts and experts. Brenda said “I like this sauce. It doesn’t taste like mayonnaise!” A real compliment!
So here you go….don’t blink or you’ll miss it! Happy dipping and scraping!
The thorns unto the rose. Cut the stem and top off the artichoke and then snip off the tips of each leaf. Looks like a rose when you are done and no thorny stabbing injuries!
Run water through the leaves to remove any dirt or bugs. Flip it over and drain to make double sure!
Steam the artichoke for about 45 minutes depending on size. Let the artichoke sit in the pot with the lid on for anther 10-15 minutes. This is the magic trick for a fully cooked, tender leaf.
For the Killer, Conversation Stopping Sauce:
In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until smooth and thinned out. Yep, that’s it! ….and why I laugh!
Place the artichoke on a plate with the dipping sauce. Include an extra bowl for tossing the scraped leaves.
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 large artichoke
- Cut the stem and top off the artichoke and then snip off the tips of each leaf. Looks like a rose when you are done.
- Run water through the leaves to remove any dirt or bugs.
- Steam the artichoke for about 45 minutes depending on size. Let the artichoke sit in the pot with the lid on for anther 10-15 minutes. This is the magic trick for a fully cooked, tender leaf.
- Killer, Conversation Stopping Sauce: In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until smooth and thinned out.
- Place the artichoke on a plate with the dipping sauce. Include an extra bowl for tossing the scraped leaves.
