From Our Friends
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I love to serve artichokes with melted butter, or aioli, or "Roman Style" with a dressing of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs (mint, thyme).
Out of all the sauces and all the possible preparations, my favorite is Best Foods / Hellmann's Mayonnaise right out of the jar. (Don't knock it unless you've tried it; other jarred mayo doesn't count.) Hollandaise is good too, and a good way to use leftover sauce from a day or two before*.
(*Assuming you pasteurized the eggs in the process.)
I'm stalwartly in there with the roman style oil, and mint. In the same tradition I'll pull back the trimmed leaves and bread crumbs. I use a melon baller to take out the choke and put the same stuffing in there also.
I like a honey and dijon mustard combo with a touch of champagne vinegar, salt and pepper.
I second just the mayo, but like "Stone soup" it usually gets a bit of this or that.
Lemon Juice, salt, and a touch of Cajun seasoning sometimes.
I just had a sauce tonight that was a touch of cream, chicken stock and puréed artichoke with a touch of tarragon. It was outstanding (served with chicken)
Years ago, I was having lunch in a restaurant in Greensboro, NC. Can't remember what I was eating except that there was a dish of the most delicious mayonnaise. When I mentioned it to the waiter, he said, "Hellmann's with lemon juice beaten into it."
Allans - I sure would love to have that pureed artichoke cream sauce recipe!
Thanks to Deborah Madison in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, I steam little artichokes with bay, lemon rind, and peppercorns when I take out the chokes, I add butter and crushed garlic and lemon juice to the water and reduce it to a nice dipping consistency, then pour it over the cooked artichokes (and spoon it on to serving plates for dipping in - truly lovely way to start a dinner party.