Grilled artichoke is an effortless appetizer, snack or side dish that once you know how to grill an artichoke perfectly, there is no turning back!
Ever since moving to Santa Barbara 10 years ago, it seemed that grilled artichokes were “THEE thing” to get on the menu at every restaurant. To some, they are an acquired taste that takes a bit of patience and technique. Pulling each leaf off and gliding your teeth across until you come to the soft delicious meat on end is totally divine in my book. A little bit of work for a lot of flavorful pleasure!
After my husband and I became addicted it was time to perfect the artichoke at home. We tried numerous recipes. Only grilling (rather than steaming first) led to an overly dry and hard vegetable with tough leaves. Boiling depleted nutritional value of the artichoke and left a soft bland texture. Finally we liked the technique of steaming the artichoke for 20 minutes then grilling it to sear in the flavor and add a crispy finish. Artichoke does not need much added flavor except salt, pepper and butter to bring out its existing nutty notes. And the best reward? The heart which is the soft meaty stem where the leaves connect! This is one of the kids favorites vegetables to eat!
Grilled artichoke is fabulous dipped or drizzled in this vegan cashew cheese recipe. It only takes about 20-25 minutes to steam. Then add your seasoning flavors and sear on the grill for 5 minutes each side.
So go ahead and fire up that grill… you can thank me later!
- Steam artichokes whole on high in a large covered pot with about 1-2 inches of filtered water with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice for 20-25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes that a knife can be inserted smoothly. If it is tough to insert, steam for about 5 more minutes.
- Remove from the pot upside down to drain out any extra water. Set the artichoke on a plate one at a time and slice it in half. The knife should easily slice through when it is done. Remove and discard the "hairy" center.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of butter to each half coating the entire thing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill on medium-high both halves for 5 minutes on each side or until each side is slightly crispy.
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