Garlic Grilled Artichokes

Artichokes! Many people love them, but most people aren't exactly sure what to do with them. This week I grilled up the ones from last week's box for our Memorial Day feast and they were delicious! I'm excited to share with you this simple recipe. Now I'm not going to lie, they are a bit time consuming to prepare, but once you taste them, I think you'll agree they are well worth the work.

Before we jump in, I just wanted to take a moment to pause and note how beautiful this vegetable is! The green of the outer leaves and then that gorgeous purple inside is truly another one of Mother Nature's many works of art.

So let's get to it! Follow these simple steps to prepare the artichoke.

1. Cut off the stem and the top inch or so of the artichoke.

2. Using kitchen shears, cut away the sharp tip of each leaf.

3. Cut each artichoke in half.

4. Brush each edge that you cut with some lemon, or put them in cold water with the juice of half a lemon. This will keep the cut edges from turning brown.

5. Place the artichokes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes.

6. Drain water and set artichokes on a pan or tray.

7. In a small bowl combine the following; 1/4 cup olive oil, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper.

8. Brush the oil mixture on the artichokes and place on hot grill. Flip to other side. Cook until you have nice grill marks.

Serve with chicken or fish and alongside roasted potatoes or pasta. To eat the artichoke, pull away each leaf. Dip the bottom of it in a bit of garlic butter. Use your teeth to get the meaty bottom part at the base of the leaf. You don't eat the whole leaf. Once you've used all the leaves, you'll discover the artichoke heart. Cut it up and enjoy. You'll want to avoid the bristly hairs near the heart. Those aren't so tasty.

I hope you'll enjoy artichokes as much as my family does!