Grilled Artichokes with Rosemary Mustard Aioli

By cookism

Quirky, intimidating, tedious — just some of the adjectives that come to mind when faced with the prospect of cooking and eating artichokes. Much to our surprise, these large thorny guys which resemble succulents are actually pretty fun to eat, not to mention darn delicious too, if you are patient enough with them. There is something about twisting off the tenderized petals and scrapping the creamy flesh with your front teeth that makes the whole tedium of cooking them worth it.

Ingredients

• For grilled artichoke:
• One 500g artichoke
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
• For rosemary mustard aioli:
• 1 yolk
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed with pinch of salt
• 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

1. Pull off smaller outer leaves towards the base and stem of an artichoke. Slice the top off and trim off the little thorns on the end of the leaves using a kitchen scissors. Steam artichoke for about 45 mins until the outer leaves can be easily pulled off.
2. Allow it to cool slightly and halve the artichoke. Using a teaspoon, remove the fibrous choke in the middle. Rub with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add a little oil into a hot grill pan and place 2 halves of artichoke flat side down. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes each side.
3. For aioli, whisk together yolk and white wine vinegar in a mixing bowl. Add in olive oil a little at a time while constantly whisking to incorporate and emulsify. Stop adding oil when mixture separates and whisk till mixture comes together, then resume adding oil. Whisk in mustard, crushed garlic, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste. If the aioli appears to be too thick, add a little water to thin it slightly.
4. Serve grilled artichokes with rosemary mustard aioli.