Sunday Dish

Best Grilled Artichokes

There's a great spot near my home here in Southern California called Laurel Tavern.  It's a "gastro-pub" that serves a small selection of wines and a larger selection of craft beers in addition to some really tasty food. I wrote up a review that I'll be posting in a few days - but if you live in LA or ever visit - it's a great little joint to check out.

What does Laurel Tavern have to do with artichokes?  Well it just so happens that one of the tastiest things I've had there is their Grilled Artichokes.  They are seriously perfect in their simplicity and Todd and I have been trying to recreate them ever since. 

With a little trial and error, we came up with a simple recipe that comes pretty darn close.  Our next challenge is creating the perfect dipping sauce.  Something tangy and not too mayo-naisy.  Any good recipes out there?  Please pass them along!  

Although the peak season is gone, here in California we can still find artichokes in the market - and there will be another smaller season starting in October.  So stash this away in your file or pony up a little extra cash and go buy some artichokes today!

Best Grilled Artichokes

There are no specific measurements for this recipe so I'm just gonna give it to you straight.

Start by cooking your artichokes whole, in a large pot of salted boiling water.  You'll want to let them simmer for about 15-25 minutes, depending on their size,  until they are fork tender.  Don't let them get too tender or they will fall apart.

Remove them from the water and when they are cool enough to handle cut them in half length wise.  Help them along by gently spreading the layers out a bit - this will ensure that the seasonings get into every portion of the artichoke which is key.

Next, drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil, making sure that the oil gets into every layer.  Then squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over that.  Last, season with lots of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Now, fire up the grill.  Place the artichokes on the grill (high heat) cut side down.  Let them cook for about 7-10 minutes until they have a good char on them.  Flip them over, drizzle any remaining juice left on your prep pan, and let them cook for another 7-10 minutes.

That's pretty much it people.  Easy, Peasy. So simple and so damn tasty.

These babies are good. Let me know how yours turn out!

Oil Poached Halibut and Veggies

This is a dish I misunderstood when I first read about it.  I heard fennel, orange peel, grape tomatoes, halibut and poaching.  I was instantly in.  Light and healthy.

I gathered my ingredients and then took a closer look at the recipe.  Note to self:  reading the recipe in full, and with care, might be in order in the future.  Upon my more pointed inspection I realized the ingredients were to be poached in oil.   Five cups of oil to be exact.  BLEH.  My vision of light and healthy flew right out the door.   

Todd talked me off the ledge and convinced me to just go for it.  Prepare the ingredients as called for and see what happens.  

So we did.  Fennel bulbs (and a bit of the fronds chopped up) orange peel, grape tomatoes and garlic, right into the pot of, gulp, 5 cups of simmering olive oil.    We cooked them for about 30 minutes until fork tender.  Then removed them and allowed them to drain.   

We put the piece of halibut in the same oil, covered it with parchment and let it cook quickly - no more than 10 minutes.

The results?  I was totally surprised.  First off, when the veggies where cooking the aroma that filled the kitchen was awesome.  Secondly, the veggies, surprisingly, didn't turn out sodden and oily.  They were delicate, perfectly cooked, and the oil gave them this really velvety texture.  Now, in the future I would have let them drain much, much, much more then I did this time around.   

The halibut was equally tasty.  But really, I can think of a 1/2 dozen other ways I'd enjoy it better. 

Give it a try, let me know what you think.   Here's the link to the recipe over at Epicurious.

Enjoy!