roasted artichokes and roasted garlic thyme aioli

So… I must admit it…

I. Am. Addicted. To. Artichokes.

If we are out, and there are roasted, grilled, or broiled, fresh artichokes on the menu… We. Are. Ordering. Them. Period. Exclamation point. Done. Ready. This is us. An artichoke is the epitome of fresh produce… and? They are beloved by most of us. The problem with artichokes, is that they brown quickly, and take a whole lot of work to get to the good stuff. But, I promise you… it’s worth the wait.

Artichokes

Ingredients:

4 globe artichokes

8 cloves of garlic, smashed

8 sprigs of time

1/2 cup of ghee, melted

1 lemon, quartered

Directions:

At the store, look for an artichoke with tight, closed leaves. When you squeeze it, it shouldn’t “give” too much.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil.

Slice off an inch from both the top and the bottom. Use a pairing knife to remove a few outer layers from the choke, and the outer layer of the stem. Once the hard outer portion has been removed, slice the artichoke in half, and use a spoon to dig out the tough fibrous “choke” and any sharp internal leaves, leaving the heart intact. Immediately after scraping out the inside, rub the entire artichoke with fresh lemon— inside and out. Follow this same process with each artichoke, until you have all 8 halves rubbed with lemon and placed face down on the tinfoil.

Using a brush, baste the back of the artichokes with melted ghee, turn over and baste the inside. Stuff each artichoke with 1 smashed clove of garlic, and one sprig of thyme. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt.

Roast for 15 minutes. Flip over artichokes, making sure to keep garlic and thyme in the center. Roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until artichokes are fork tender.

Roasted Garlic-Thyme Aioli

Ingredients:

1 egg

3/4 cup avocado oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 lemon, divided use

1 tsp salt

leftover melted ghee

roasted garlic and thyme from artichokes

Directions:

Set an egg in warm water, while preparing artichokes. This not only brings the egg to room temperature, but also heats it enough, that I feel more comfortable using it.

Crack warmed egg into blender and add 1/4 avocado oil, 1 tsp Dijon, juice of 1/2 a lemon, and salt. Blend on low speed to combine.

Slowly drizzle the rest of the avocado oil slowly into the mixture, while continuing to blend on low. Slow is the key. This creates the emulsification process, and thickens your aioli. I like to blend on high for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour into a container. Add the leftover melted ghee from basting the artichokes (should be about 1/4 cup melted), and combine.

After artichokes have finished cooking, add stripped leaves from the thyme stalks, roasted garlic cloves, and any additional ghee collected at the bottom of the tin foil. Use a fork to mash them into aioli.

Serve alongside artichokes…

Perfection on a plate.