I honestly think artichokes might be my favorite food. They are so satisfying, loaded with antioxidants, and are fun to eat!
I usually just steam them and eat them plain....dipped in some homemade mayo... easy peasy and delicious. You can see my blog post How to Make Artichokes where I get into more detail about how to steam them. This time I made them taste the way you get them in a restaurant, but made sure to keep it healthy.... even Whole30 approved;)
Since writing that post back in 2014, I now have an Instant Pot that has been a game changer for time saver cooking!!! It used to take me about an hour to cook artichokes and now I get it done in 20 minutes thanks to my Instant Pot pressure cooker....LOVE it.
You will need:
- 2 large artichokes
- Homemade Mayo (click for recipe)
- juice from 1/2 lemon plus extra wedges for serving
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (I use Trader Joe's from a jar)
- sea salt and pepper
While you're steaming your artichokes, make your homemade mayo if you haven't already so it's ready for the next step when they are done cooking.
How to Steam Artichokes in an Instant Pot:
- Wash your artichokes and trim the stem.
- Cut the tops off using a sharp serrated knife.
- Put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place the steaming rack in the bottom and place the artichokes inside.
- Lock the lid and ensure the vent is set to "sealing" not "venting".
- Use the "Steam" button and set the timer for 20 mins on high pressure.
- Once it comes up to temperature, it will start counting down the minutes.
- When done, you can let it vent on it's own, or using a pot holder to protect yourself, vent it manually by moving the vent to "venting". Careful not to let the escaped steam burn you.
- Once it stops steaming, the pressure is released and you can open the lid and remove the artichokes.
Here's how mine look after I open the lid...
Ok, now for the fun part...making them "restaurant style"
Slice your artichokes into two halves. Put them cut side up on a rack on a baking sheet lined with foil. (I use a cooling rack and it works great.) Using a knife and spoon, scoop out the center fuzz and purple leaves to clean them. This will make them super easy to eat when done.
Turn your oven to "Broil".
Whisk a couple large spoonfuls of homemade mayo, juice from half a lemon, and 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (I use the jar version of garlic for this, works great) until smooth. You want a consistency that's easy to paint on the artichokes.
Using a kitchen brush, paint the artichokes all over liberally with the mayo mixture, top and bottom. pour a little extra right in the cup that you created by scooping out the inside. This will be soooooo tasty after broiling!!! Mmmmmmm.
Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and place under the broiler on the center oven rack.
Watch them closely and in about 6 minutes they will be golden brown. Remove from oven when done do your liking;)
I served these as an appetizer like you'd order in a restaurant... with lemon wedges and additional sauce for dipping. That baked on center section where the mayo mixture settled was SO delicious!!! You could also serve these delicious beauties as a side dish! Enjoy....and let me know what you think of these in the comments!
