Amazing(ly Simple) Artichokes

Artichokes are one of my favourite comfort foods and let's face it, we need as much of it as we can get at this time of year. They also look so majestic and impressive without really having to make much effort.  Ideal for a starter, you can basically just boil them and serve. 

Billy and I recently went to Brighton where my highlight of the weekend, as well as our tour of the Royal Pavilion, was dining at the Hotel du Vin. We shared this artichoke starter which was simply presented and served with two dipping sauces- one was a hollandaise sauce and the other a garlic butter.

 I liked the no fuss presentation with the mini copper pans. You could easily do something like this at home for a dinner party. However, my recipe is even easier:

Ingredients:

• 1 Globe Artichoke per person 
• Garlic to put in the boiling water (about half to one clove per artichoke)
• Juice of 1 lemon- about a quarter of a lemon per artichoke, depending on your tastes
• Salt and pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• White or Red wine vinegar
• Butter

Method:

• Cut of the stalks of each artichoke and any damaged outer leaves
• Boil them for 20 minutes (unless they're the small ones in which case 15 minutes will be fine) with 2 whole garlic cloves in the water. Depending on how many artichokes you're boiling, I'd allow half a clove of garlic more for every additional artichoke you do.
• Drain and place in a bowl, putting a clove at the bottom of each bowl to add flavour to your dipping juices. This is optional.
• Season with plenty of salt and pepper
• Squeeze over some lemon juice (about a quarter of lemon per artichoke).
• Then pour over a generous glug of Extra Virgin Olive oil and a dash of White Wine Vinegar.
• Finish with a knob of butter which will melt into the artichoke.
• Then get stuck in, using the juices in your bowl to dip your leaves. Place a bowl in the middle of the table to discard your leaves and choke.

I like the theatre of eating an artichoke this way: peeling off each leaf and dipping it in the sauce to eat off the fragrant flesh. Then, taking your time and eventually getting to the heart (you need to remove the spiky choke with a spoon) with which you can mop up the remaining juices in your bowl. By the end of the dish you end up with a mountain of discarded leaves and messy fingers as there's no sophisticated way to do it. For me it's the perfect interactive starter and it's so easy to do. 

Not one to do though if you're absolutely starving and in a rush as it lends itself to eating slowly and/ or sharing.