Grilled Artichokes Recipe

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You're not wrong to call artichokes vegetables, but botanically speaking, artichokes are a type of thistle, which technically makes them an edible flower (and a nutritious one, at that).

Recipe developer Sher Castellano is a fan of the vegetable (er, thistle). Specifically, she likes to grill them. "I just love the way the char on the leaves gives an earthy flavor to the artichokes," she says. The thistles aren't the only thing she grills, though. "The char on the lemon gives it the perfect amount of sweet and acid," she says. While there are many ways you could cook artichokes, there's something particularly appealing about tossing them onto a grill and getting that perfectly crisp char — not to mention it's a summery method of cooking, too. What better way to kick off warmer weather than by firing up the grill and making a tasty vegetable — er, thistle — as a side dish?

Not only is this recipe perfectly easy and summery, but it requires only four ingredients. You'll need a couple of globe artichokes, of course, along with some sea salt, olive oil spray, and a couple of medium-sized lemons. 

The first thing you'll want to do for this recipe is get your propane or charcoal grill preheating to medium-high heat. Now, it's time to prep the artichokes, which is a somewhat involved process. First, cut the stems off each artichoke and use kitchen shears to remove the sharp points off each outer leaf. Cut each artichoke in half, then cut those in half again, leaving you with quarters. "If you don't have a super sharp knife, you can use a serrated knife," Castellano advises. 

Finally, use a spoon to remove the fuzzy (and, careful, a bit prickly) inner leaves from each artichoke quarter, then give each one a thorough rinse. "I like to cut and prep the artichoke and then wash them," Castellano explains. "It allows the leaves and structure to open up and get much cleaner."

Before you get the artichokes grilling, go ahead and steam them for 10 minutes, so they soften up a bit. To do so, fill a large and shallow pan with 1 inch of water, then place the artichokes, cut-side down, into the pan and cover them. Allow them to cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then test them to make sure that the leaves are tender. Remove the artichokes from the pan and wipe dry. 

After steaming them, spray the cut-sides of the artichokes with olive oil spray. Slice each lemon in half and place them face-down onto the grill, then place the steamed artichokes (also cut-side down) onto the grill as well. Allow everything to cook for 10 minutes or until the insides of both the artichokes and lemons are lightly charred. 

"Charring the lemon is pretty special," Castellano says, explaining that the process "allows the sugars to caramelize just a little bit on top, which gives the lemon juice a little bit of roundness to an otherwise tart bite." And when you squeeze the lemon onto the artichokes, the subtly sweet, subtly tart flavor will perfectly complement the earthy flavors from the artichokes themselves. 

Once the artichokes and lemons are nice and charred, remove them from the grill. Squeeze some lemon juice right onto the artichokes, sprinkle them with sea salt, then you're ready to serve and enjoy. If you happen to have leftovers, Castellano recommends eating them cold, but if you want to reheat them, she suggests taking the chill off in the microwave. 

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We get it: Artichokes can be a pain to prepare. With that in mind, you may be looking for ways to streamline the cooking process. Thankfully, some of the prep work can be done ahead of time so you aren't taking on the entire workload at once.

The main thing to do ahead of time would be to slice and trim the artichokes until you get to the edible part in the center. You'll want to wait to boil them until the day you plan on cooking them, but proper storage is key. You'll need to take an airtight container, fill it with water and lemon juice (the juice of one lemon should be plenty), and place the artichokes in the lemon water, where they'll stay fresh for two days. 

The acidic citrus will act as a natural preservative, combatting against oxidation and browning. When you're ready to boil and grill them, simply take them out, dry them thoroughly, and continue like normal.

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