Steamed Artichokes make a wonderful appetizer to any dinner party. Paired with this garlic and olive oil mayonnaise and you have something truly amazing!
My kids are always surprising me. From their quick wit to their food choices and everything in between. As parents we spend hours and hours trying to teach our kids these giant life lessons, keeping our fingers crossed that maybe 10% might sink in.
When it comes to food, we also have a rule in the house that the kiddos can’t reject a food unless they try it first. Some of the reactions to Brussels sprouts or teriyaki sauce can lead to a slew of melodramatic reactions. But then there are times where they surprise us and say, “Hmm… that tastes good!”
One of those surprise-I-like-it moments was with steamed artichokes.
Why you have to make this recipe
Two out of three of my kiddos really love artichokes. They truly love marinated artichokes, and for steamed artichokes, the key is the dipping sauce. From yogurt to butter-based sauces, my little monkeys lick the bowl clean.
We enjoy artichokes in all of its forms. From braised baby artichokes to grilled artichokes to stuffed artichokes, we love them all. But the easiest way to enjoy a whole artichoke is to steam it.
If you have never prepared artichokes, it might seem intimidating. But it is quite simple and pretty goof proof. You only need a large pot and steaming basket. There is some minor prepping to do, but other than that, steaming artichokes is very easy.
You could accompany your artichoke with a simple bowl of melted butter, but it is rather plain and bland. My family’s favorite dipping sauce is this garlic mayonnaise. Flavorful but not overfly fancy or difficult, it is quite delicious with artichoke.
Ingredients you need
- Large artichoke: Steaming works best with the large variety of artichokes. It can be done with the popular green globe variety or even the specialty varieties like these gorgeous purple Fiore Viola artichoke. You can steam just one or as many as your pot can hold.
- Lemon juice: Lemons offer flavor as well as keeps the cut artichoke from browning and oxidizing. Like apples, artichokes brown easily once cut.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Oil is used to sauté the garlic. You could use canola or vegetable oil, but it offers no additional flavor.
- Mayonnaise: You can use store bought (which I do all the time) or make it yourself.
- White wine: Only a small amount of wine is used in the dipping sauce, so it is kid friendly. You can omit it if you prefer.
- Garlic
- Salt
Step-by-step directions
1. Rinse artichokes and trim ½-inch off the top. Trim stem to a maximum of one inch long, snip tips off the leaves that thorns. Remove the thicker bottom leaves and slightly spread open the petals.
2. In a bowl large enough to hold the artichoke, add water and lemon juice. Place artichoke cut side down into the lemon mixture to keep it from browning until you are ready to cook. You can also rub the the cut edges of the artichoke with a lemon half.
3. Bring 2 to 3 inches of water to boil in a pot and place a steamer basket over the water. Place the artichokes into the steamer basket, cover and steam until leaves are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. While the artichokes are steaming, heat a small pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, stir in garlic cloves. Remove pan from heat and continue cooking the garlic until golden. Do not brown the garlic or it will turn bitter.
5. In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise in until smooth then stir in wine, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Transfer garlic mayonnaise to a small dipping bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve with the steamed artichoke.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Artichokes come in all colors and sizes. The large artichokes are especially enjoyed steamed. You can also partially steam the artichokes and then grill them to add some smoke and char.
As you get closer to the heart of the artichoke, you will find the hairy choke. This is not edible and should be removed to get to the tender heart.
The large varieties of artichokes have a hairy choke in the center, while the small baby versions do not. If the tips of your artichoke leaves have thorns, you will want to cut them all off. Using a serrated knife, you will also need to cut off approximately ¼ to ½-inch off the top of the artichoke. Remove the smaller and thicker leaves towards the bottom of the stem. Leave about 1-inch of the stem on, but cut the remaining off as the rest of the stem can taste bitter.
Although you can boil artichokes, it can water down the flavor. This is the case if you boil any vegetable in water. Steaming is my preferred way to prepare artichokes. It cooks the artichokes evenly, quickly and without removing any flavor.
If you are enjoying my recipes, please sign up for my newsletter and get my free 28-day meal plan! You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise
Steamed Artichokes make a wonderful appetizer to any dinner party. Paired with this garlic and olive oil mayonnaise and you have something truly amazing!
Ingredients
- 1 large artichoke
- 1 cup water
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 TBS white wine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse artichokes and trim ½-inch off the top.
- Trim stem to a maximum of one inch long, snip tips off the leaves that thorns.
- Remove the thicker bottom leaves and slightly spread open the petals.
- In a bowl large enough to hold the artichoke, add water and lemon juice.
- Place artichoke cut side down into the lemon mixture to keep it from browning until you are ready to cook.
- Bring 2 to 3 inches of water to boil in a pot and place a steamer basket over the water.
- Place the artichokes into the steamer basket, cover and steam until leaves are tender, about 20 minutes.
- While the artichokes are steaming, heat a small pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
- When oil is hot, stir in garlic cloves.
- Remove pan from heat and continue cooking the garlic until golden. Do not brown the garlic or it will turn bitter.
- In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise in until smooth then stir in wine, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
- Transfer garlic mayonnaise to a small dipping bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve with the steamed artichoke.
Notes
As you get closer to the heart of the artichoke, you will find the hairy choke. This is not edible and should be removed to get to the heart.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
½ artichokeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 511mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!
I love artichokes, but have never tried baby nor purple ones. I like your rule with the kids: that they must try something at least once. Such good advice that I wish I’d had when my children were younger.
Your images of these of these artichokes are just beautiful, Laura! You’ve inspired me to use up the rest of my baby artichokes making your garlic-mayo. 🙂
Oh Laura, you almost have me teary-eyed at 4pm on a working day! Yes, my little monkeys also absolutely loved to get stuck into spring artichokes, of course with ‘yummy’ sauces alongside!! And I do remember what you mean about a ‘happy dance’!! . . . . bestest across the Pond!!
Love artichokes! Don’t often steam them — I should do that more. And pair them with garlic mayo? Yes. 😉 Good stuff — thanks.