I love the spring season where an abundance of artichokes becomes available at reasonable prices when I go to the market. My favorite way to eat an artichoke is simply steamed with an aioli sauce to dip the leaves into as I scrape off the good stuff with my teeth.

First step in preparing artichokes is to cut off the sharp thorny tips of the leaves. I use my handy kitchen scissors to snip these right off, and then I use a knife to cut through the leaves at the very top. Then I cut the stem so there’s a flat base to rest the artichokes on in my pot.

My preference is to place the artichokes standing in a pot with about an inch of boiling water. I keep the pot covered and drop the heat to medium to let it simmer. Another option is to lay your artichokes in a sieve that sits in a steaming pot of boiling water.

After about twenty minutes, your artichokes are cooked to where you should be able to easily pull off the leaves. If not, leave it in longer.

While the artichokes are cooking, I make an improvised aioli sauce. True aioli is made with eggs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. I make mine with the following ingredients:

• mayonnaise
• spicy brown mustard
• garlic
• lemon
• salt
• pepper
• soy sauce

It may not be conventional, but it is really tasty. I use about three parts mayo to 1 part mustard, and just a dash of the soy sauce to not overwhelm the sauce with saltiness. Mix well until you have a smooth creamy consistency.

It’s not the healthiest item in my blog, but it is a tasty indulgence and pairs nicely with steamed artichokes.

Enjoy!

Total cook time, approximately 20 minutes plus 5 minutes to prep.

2 artichokes
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce

Makes 2 servings

Calories: approx 170 per serving