Baby artichokes?!
I was wandering through the produce section at Whole Foods in Cleveland a few weeks ago to grad a few things for the week and spotted a two-pound container of baby artichokes. It was only about $4 for all two pounds so I couldn’t resist grabbing them to play around with.
I had never cooked baby artichokes before and have only cooked large artichokes once. I made a few mistakes putting these together but they still turned out delicious. The key is to peel the outermost stems, and trim the top and the bottom of each artichoke. Note that I forgot to cut the tops off of that artichokes in the photographs, I would not encourage you to do the same for happy eating!
These artichokes make for a lovely appetizer dipped in a creamy vegan dip with flavors of fresh lemon and dill. Serve them warm or at room temperature for guests or just because. I happen to think they make a really great snack, even cold or reheated.
What do you think about roasted baby artichokes?!
- 1.5 lbs fresh baby artichokes
- 1 T avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 t salt
- ⅓ c raw macadamia nuts
- 1 T lemon zest
- 3 T lemon juice
- 3 small-medium cloves garlic
- 2 T fresh dill
- ½ t salt
- ¼ t ground black pepper
- 2-4 T water
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the outermost layer of leaves from each baby artichokes, keep going until you see the slightly yellow color of the stem. Cut off most of the stem, the exact amount will vary by the size of the artichoke. Cut each artichoke in half to allow for two equal halves.
- To clean, soak the artichoke halves in a large bowl of water with a few drops of vegetable cleaner, rinse well and shake to dry off.
- Place each artichoke heart cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
- While the baby artichokes roast, prepare the lemon dill sauce. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, starting with 2 T of water and adding 1-2 additional tablespoons of water as needed to create a smooth and creamy sauce. Blend 3-5 minutes.
- Serve the roasted artichokes warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce on the side.
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