Recipe: Grilled Artichokes with Mustard Dipping Sauce

GRILLED ARTICHOKES
Castroville, Calif.

"Selecting artichokes for grilling may run counter to your intuition: The best are older chokes whose leaves have started to spread open. Avoid hard, tightly closed globe artichokes, which may taste great boiled or steamed, but are difficult to grill. I wrote these words in my last book, Beer-Can Chicken, and they've always bothered me, because a jumbo globe artichoke is a magnificent vegetable the pride of Californian produce. A visit to Castroville (California's artichoke capital) convinced me I would have to figure out how to grill this handsome vegetable in all its rotund glory. The secret is to spread the artichoke open like a flower as it cooks, much as Roman do when they fry artichokes to make carciofo alla giudea."

4 large globe artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Coarse salt (kosher or salt) and freshly ground black pepper
Mustard Dipping sauce, (recipe follows) for serving

Method: Direct grilling

Using a sharp knife, cut off and discard the top of third of each artichoke. Using kitchen shears, cut off and discard the spiny tips on the remaining artichoke leaves. Trim 1/4-inch off the end of each stem, then cut the stems off the artichokes so the bottoms of the chokes are flat. Reserve the stems. Rub all of the cut edges with lemon to prevent them from browning.

Using a grapefruit spoon or a melon baller, scrape out the purplish inside leaves and fibrous part in the center of each artichoke, creating a hollow cavity. Squeeze lemon juice into the cavities.

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a bowl and stir to mix. Generously brush the artichokes inside and out with some of the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper.

Set up the grill for direct grilling using a two-zone fire and preheat once zone to medium and the other to low.

When ready to cook, brush the grill slate. Place the artichokes over the medium zone if the grill, stem end up, and grill until the cut sides are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Rotate the artichokes from time to time or move them to the cooler zone of the grill if needed to keep them burning.

Turn over the artichokes and generously brush them inside and out with some more garlic oil (really slop it into the cavity). Season the artichokes with salt and pepper. Brush the reserved artichoke stems with garlic oil and season them with salt and pepper. Place the stems on the grate next to the chokes. Cover the grill and continue grilling the artichokes, until almost tender, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Baste the chokes and stems with some of the garlic oil every 15 minutes. Turn the stems often to ensure even browning. If using a charcoal grill, after 1 hour you'll need to add 12 fresh coals to each side.

Check the stems to see if they are cooked through. Then, using tongs and starting in the center, spread the chokes open, like petals of a flower (you should wind up with something that looks like a sunflower). Brush the leaves with the remaining garlic oil. Grill until the leaves are crisp and golden-brown and the centers are tender (the leaves should pull out easily), 5 to 8 minutes more per side.

TO SERVE:
Place the grilled chokes on a platter stem side down, place the stems alongside, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Provide bowls for the discarded leaves and wet napkins for greasy fingers.

MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE:
I like a simple mustard dipping sauce. You can make one by mixing equal parts of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise and adding a splash of Tabasco sauce or Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Makes 4 servings
Source: BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen