Steamed Artichokes

5 from 2 votes

When spring hits and artichoke season starts, there's no stopping us! Now, we've grilled artichokes here on WGC before, but let's tackle a really simple steamed artichoke with a caper dipping sauce so we can all feel incredibly confident in our spring artichoke endeavors.

Prep Time10

Cook Time41

Total Time51

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

2 large globe artichokes
2 lemons
1 bay leaf

For the Creamy Caper Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons capers rinsed and chopped fine
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic finely chopped or grated
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Creamy Caper dipping sauce:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the Steamed Artichokes:

Make a lemon water bath in a large bowl of cold water just deep enough to cover the artichoke, add the juice of two lemons, reserve the skins for the steamer. Clean and prep the artichokes. With a pair of kitchen shears remove the sharp pointy tip of each leaf and remove any small leaves from the stem portion. With a sharp knife remove the top 1 inch of the artichoke by carefully slicing it off. With a vegetable peeler peel the outer layer of the stem and slice off the very bottom of the stem with your knife. Place into the lemon water while you prep the remaining artichoke.
Set a large pot on the stove and fill it with 1-2 inches of water, drop in the spent lemon peels and the lay leaf and drop the steamer basket in, make sure the water sits just below the basket.
Turn the heat to medium high and place the artichokes into the basket, put the lid on the steamer and cook the artichokes for about 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. You want the stem to be easily pierced with a knife and the leaves to peel off easily.
Remove the steamed artichokes and allow them to cool enough so you can handle them.
Slice the artichoke in half from top to bottom. Use a spoon to remove and discard the fuzzy choke the very center part of the leaves. Serve the artichokes with the creamy caper dipping sauce or one of your favorite dipping sauce like butter, garlic aioli or just regular mayo.

Notes

Pick artichokes that feel heavy and squeak. Heavy means they're full of water (still fresh). Tight, squeaky leaves mean they're young. Loose, dry, opening leaves mean they're past their prime.
Trim the stem flush, but save it. The stem is the same flavor as the heart. Peel off the tough outer layer, save it, and steam it alongside; serve it sliced with the artichoke.
Cut off the top inch with a serrated knife. The top leaves are spiky and inedible. One straight cut across the top removes 80% of the work.
Snip every leaf tip with kitchen shears. Each leaf has a tiny thorn at its point. Two minutes of trimming makes the dish presentable and keeps fingers safe.
Rub everything with lemon as you trim. Cut surfaces oxidize and turn brown in seconds. Halve a lemon and rub every cut as you go; the citric acid stops the browning.
Drop the trimmed artichokes in lemon water until ready. Same logic as rubbing, just on a longer timer. A bowl of cold water with the juice of one lemon holds them prep-clean for up to an hour.
Steam stem-down, leaves up. Sets the heart in the densest steam zone (closest to the water). Cooks the heart through without overcooking the leaves.
Test doneness with the leaf-pull test. Pull a leaf from the middle of the bunch. If it slides out easily, it's done. If it resists, give it 5 to 10 more minutes.
Add the bay leaf and lemon to the steaming water, not the artichokes. The aromatics are subtle in the steam itself; piling them on top of the artichokes barely registers. The water carries the flavor.
Serve warm, never hot. Five to ten minutes of resting after steaming makes the leaves easier to handle and the sauce cling instead of slide off.
Eat the heart with a fork and knife. Once you've worked through all the leaves, scrape out the fuzzy choke with a spoon, then quarter the heart and dip generously. That's the prize.

Nutrition