My Grandmother used to hold polite little parties at her house where recipes and gossip were freely exchanged, mid-day. They were called “Recipe Swap Socials.” The “recipe” portion of the party had a specific format and the “social” part was well, more free-form.
Each gathering would have a new theme – “One Pot Meals” or “Casseroles” or “Gelatin Salads.” The hostess would prepare a couple of items in accordance with the theme and the ladies would exchange recipe cards with each guest bringing enough printed cards to distribute their recipe with each and every guest. The ladies would arrive with one recipe and leave with ten or more. And of course, there was always some punch on hand.
Today, I’m craving artichokes. Although there is nothing wrong with the standby combination of steam and drawn lemon-butter, my hands-down favorite way to prepare artichokes is on the grill. This recipe pairs the grilled chokes with a silky, dill aioli.
Using a vegetable peeler, cut away the woody, outer portion of the artichoke stalks, revealing the light green flesh of the stems.
Trim the top of the artichokes and then remove the largest, outermost two layers of leaves. Trim the tops of remaining leaves, removing the sharp points.
Cut the artichokes in half, lengthwise and with a metal spoon, remove the “fuzzy” center of the artichokes and the small, red, inner leaves.
Place a steaming basket in a large saucepan or stock pot and fill the pan to about one inch below the bottom of the basket. Season the water liberally with kosher salt and the juice of one lemon.
Bring the water to a boil and place the artichoke halves in the basket. Steam for approximately 20 minutes with a lid securely on the top of the pot. You may have to work in batches if the artichokes are very large.
Remove the artichokes from the steamer and allow them to rest for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.
Combine the lemon zest with olive oil, ½ tsp kosher salt, black pepper and fresh garlic. Stir and brush the mixture onto the cut sides of the artichokes and grill them until well-marked.
Serve hot with herbed aioli.
In a medium glass bowl, combine egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Mix with a whisk until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Very slowly drizzle olive oil into egg mixture, whisking constantly and quickly until all the oil is emulsified with the eggs and the texture is silky and ropy.
Add dill and black pepper and stir with whisk to combine.