Artichokes are starting to appear in supermarkets in the Southwest, so time to share this super easy recipe.

Here’s our Long Introduction

Uncle Smokey this week with something to cook indoors.

I was having a couple over for dinner and the lady likes (in her words) “something green to go with all the meat.” Noticed these artichokes in the supermarket and experimented.  I sort of make turnips this way, so figured it was worth a shot.  Since this worked, here you go.

Roasted Artichokes

4 fresh artichokes
2 large fresh lemons
2 Tablespoons olive oil (maybe more)

fresh herbs chopped fine – fresh if possible, use half as much dried.  I used some rosemary, thyme, oregano, and a bit of sage.
coarse or Himalayan sea salt
1 /4 teaspoon dried peppergrass seed, ground or freshly-cracked black pepper (Link is to our YouTube)

Prepare Artichokes

Heat oven to 400°F

Wash the artichokes in a basin of cool water with a splash of vinegar.  This helps eliminate reduce contaminants from shipping and handling.  It also gets rid of any soil that might be clinging.

Slice off the bottom 1/2-inch (or more, if you’d like) of the artichoke stems, and the top 1 inch of the artichoke globes.

Remove and discard any small leaves toward the bottoms of the stems.

Slice the artichokes in half vertically.

Use a spoon to scoop out the fuzzy baby flowers in the middle.

Optional: Use kitchen shears to trim about 1 /4 inch off the inner pointy tips of the artichoke leaves so that they don’t poke you when you eat them.

Get Ready

Rub a lemon wedge all over the entire surface of each artichoke half to help prevent browning.

Place the artichoke halves in a baking dish or on a baking sheet cut-side-up.

Brush the cut sides of the artichokes evenly with the olive oil.  Or just drizzle and rub with your fingers.

Fill the cavities evenly with a layer of diced fresh herbs.

Season with salt and peppergrass or pepper.

Flip the artichokes over, so that they are cut-side-down.

Brush the outsides of the artichokes with oil, and season.

Bake

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Then cover the pan (with aluminum foil or lid), and bake for an additional 25 to 35 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and the leaves pull off easily.

Serve These

When done, drizzle the artichokes with extra lemon juice.

Serve the roasted artichokes warm with your desired dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce Ideas

Lemony Melted Butter Sauce: 1 part melted butter, 1 part freshly-squeezed lemon juice, optionally salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy Sauce: Add some yogurt or sour cream to the lemon butter to make it creamy.

Balsamic Sauce: 1 part melted butter, 1 part balsamic vinegar, mix well.

Or try some of these Dressings made with honey.

Artichoke Nutrition Facts

Artichokes have a number of essential nutrients. Below is a breakdown of their nutritional content per 100 grams.  Basically artichokes are low in calories but packed with nutrients that humans need for a healthy lifestyle.  They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

 

Nutrient	Amount per 100g
Calories	47
Carbohydrates	11g
Dietary Fiber	5.4g
Protein	3.3g
Vitamin C	15mg (20% DV)
Vitamin K	14mcg (18% DV)
Folate	68mcg (17% DV)
Potassium	370mg (8% DV)
Magnesium	50mg (12% DV)

The Honey Cookbook

We have this great little cookbook (IMHO) for sale when we are out there making our public appearances.  If you go to the book sale site and want to order more than one copy – just click on the “Special Orders” tab.

Using Honey in New and Savory Ways offers 36 pages of tips for using honey in your cooking, as well as in all manner of dishes.

From the review:
“Honey is for more than desserts – and this book can help! Using honey in cooking savory dishes helps engage all your taste buds and adds a layer of added flavor to everyday dishes – plus holiday fare.”

Beekeeper?  We offer volume discounts – because if you sell in local markets you might want to offer some of these books as well.

Profits from the sale of this book go to the publisher – an Arizona-based Horticulture Therapy non-profit called Tierra del Sol Institute.

Thanks for reading!

Legal Notes

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the uses and edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.