A simple weekend snack, blanched artichokes dipped in lemon butter are the perfect thing to get your teeth into, quite literally. That is to say, one does not eat the artichoke so much as run your teeth along each sharp leaf, extracting a small layer of earthy flesh and leaving a pale husk. Dipped in tart, lemony butter strewn with chopped herbs, they scream of early summer and snacks for hot days, when you aren't so much hungry as peckish.
I use the leftover lemon halves to make a quick, light lemonade, in a giant mason jar with a bit of sugar and fresh mint. Strained into a glass, it's refreshingly mild, subtly tart, and not cloyingly sweet.
Use smallish artichokes for this, the kind that appear early in the season (likely already past in North America, though only getting underway now here).
*****
2 small artichokes, tops trimmed off, outer leaves and choke removed and stalk trimmed
2 litres water, salted and brought to a boil
Blanch your artichokes for about 15 minutes, submerged with a plate if necessary. The tenderest leaves for eating are in the middle of the artichoke, but be careful to avoid any bits of choke that remain.
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