Happy Thursday! I hope you’re having a glorious week. I’ve been trying to unwind – and catch up on sleep – from a busy weekend of graduation events and work.
Some dear patrons of The Good Egg who come to see me every weekend told me recently that they made grilled artichokes. I have never actually cooked artichokes before so I was intrigued. I looked at some tutorials online and just decided to go simple with seasonings and stick to some fresh citrus, olive oil and salt & pepper and grated parm reggiano cheese.
I was basically licking the leaves wishing for more artichoke. They were fabulous.
I thought I’d share with you the steps for making them. I didn’t know there were so many things to do to prepare them. It was well worth the effort, though.
First, I cut the stems off, then cut the top 1/4 of the artichoke. Was tougher than I thought!
Then, I cut the artichokes in half and snipped off the sharp points on the leaves with scissors. Those things can really poke. I put the halves in cold water with juice of one lime.
I let them soak while I brought a large pot of water to a boil. Cook them for 10 minutes.
They smelled amazing already! After they were done, I brushed both sides with a mixture of juice from three limes (lemons will also work), olive oil, salt & pepper and a little garlic powder. I saved the leftover sauce for dipping. 🙂
Then, we got to grilling! It was our anniversary dinner so we also paired the artichokes with grilled zucchini (from our garden), grilled shrimp (seasoned by the boy), salad, a spinach/tomato flavored couscous and a little crusty french bread.
Grill each side for about 4 minutes, and try not to drool. Wine and snacks while waiting.
 
I grated some parmesan reggiano cheese on top of the artichokes because I saw the cutest mini-cheese and couldn’t resist buying it! Adorbs.
And the finished plate.
We ate outside and just chatted. It was such a fun night. AND I got the most amazing present: The Game of Thrones book series!!!!! Yes, I’m a fantasy book geek. 🙂
Have a great rest of your day! I’m off to do the Third Thursday Adventure Run with my running buddy, Stacey! 🙂 If you’re in the Phoenix area, I’d highly recommend this super fun and free (!!) event. Plus, you get a free beer at the end. 🙂 Runners love their beer.
Perfectley Peared 