French Artichokes

If you love artichokes as much as I do you would have been jumping up and down with joy, as I was, at this gorgeous display of the thorny globes that appeared at the market several weeks ago. The vendor-grower wouldn't tell me much about them because he is one of the few farmers in the area who raises this particular variety and he hopes to keep it that way for awhile. He did explain that this purple variety has more flavor and is meatier than it's green counterpart. This, and the fact that one doesn't see this amazing specimen very often, account for it's hefty price of $3 to $4 per artichoke.

There are so many creative and delicious ways to prepare artichokes. I wanted to get the full impact of the flavor and texture so simply simmered them till barely fork tender in salted water with lemon, cooled them and then removed the choke. I cut them in half and tried to remove the choke when raw but found it much easier to cook the halves intact and then scoop out the unedible parts with a small melon baller.

I combined 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, sea salt and several grinds of black pepper in a zip lock bag, added the cooked and cleaned artichokes and let them marinate for several hours.

Just before dinner I fired up my grill and cooked the artichoke halves on medium low heat until they were a bit crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I have to tell you, the flavor and texture were fantastic.

You can see how the color intensifies as the artichokes cook on the grill. They would be wonderful stuffed, but this time I was going for the flavor. They didn't need any more dressing than the olive oil mixture they marinated in, but I did serve them with lemon slices and a lemon-garlic mayo just in case somebody wanted a dip. We love condiments in this family.

Remove the small outside leaves and cut them in half when you are ready to cook them. They darken quickly so have your pot of salted lemon water ready. Cook them for about 15 minutes or until you can just barely pierce them with a fork. When cooled, the choke can be easily removed. Aren't they beautiful?

If left on the plant the artichokes will bloom into these amazing blue-purple flowers that dry beautifully and make a long lasting display.