Grilled Artichokes Recipe

Artichokes are commonly lumped together with green vegetables, like Brussels sprouts or asparagus, but as it turns out, they're not vegetables at all. According to Healthline, artichokes are a type of thistle, which technically makes them a flower (and a nutritious one, at that). Artichokes are loaded with nutrients, so even though they aren't really vegetables, they fit right in with the food group.

Recipe developer Sher Castellano is a fan of artichokes. Specifically, she likes to grill them. "I just love the way the char on the leaves gives an earthy flavor [to the artichokes,]" she says. The thistles aren't the only thing she grills, though: "The char on the lemon gives it the perfect amount of sweet and acid." While there are many ways you could cook artichokes, there's something particularly appealing about tossing them onto a grill and getting that perfectly crisp char — not to mention it's a summery method of cooking, too. What better way to kick off warmer weather than by firing up the grill and making a tasty vegetable — er, thistle — as a side dish?

Not only is this recipe perfectly easy and summery, but it requires only four ingredients. You'll need a couple of globe artichokes, of course, along with some sea salt, olive oil spray, and a couple of medium-sized lemons. 

The first thing you'll want to do for this recipe is get your grill preheating to medium-high heat. Now, it's time to prep the artichokes, which is a somewhat involved process. First, cut the stems of off each artichoke and use kitchen shears to remove the sharp points off of each outer leaf. Cut each artichoke in half, then cut those in half again, leaving you with quarters. "If you don't have a super sharp knife, you can use a serrated knife," Castellano advises. 

Finally, use a spoon to remove the fuzzy (and, careful, a bit prickly) inner leaves from each artichoke quarter, then give each one a thorough rinse. "I like to cut and prep the artichoke and then wash them," Castellano explains. "It allows the leaves and structure to open up and get much cleaner."

Before you get the artichokes grilling, go ahead and steam them for 10 minutes, so they soften up a bit. To do so, fill a large and shallow pan with 1 inch of water, then place the artichokes, cut-side down, into the pan and cover them. Allow them to cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then test them to make sure that the leaves are tender. Remove the artichokes from the pan and wipe dry. 

After steaming them, spray the cut-sides of the artichokes with olive oil spray. Slice each lemon in half and place them face-down onto the grill, then place the steamed artichokes (also cut-side down) onto the grill as well. Allow everything to cook for 10 minutes, or until the insides of both the artichokes and lemons are lightly charred. 

"Charring the lemon is pretty special," Castellano says, explaining that the process "allows the sugars to caramelize just a little bit on top, which gives the lemon juice a little bit of roundness to an otherwise tart bite." And when you squeeze the lemon onto the artichokes, the subtly sweet, subtly tart flavor will perfectly complement the earthy flavors from the artichokes themselves. 

Once the artichokes and lemons are nice and charred, remove them from the grill. Squeeze some lemon juice right onto the artichokes, sprinkle them with sea salt, then you're ready to serve and enjoy. "You could pair any meat from the grill with artichokes, or you could eat it as an appetizer before a pasta or refreshing chilled soup," Castellano suggests. 

If you happen to have leftovers, Castellano recommends eating them cold, but if you want to reheat them, she suggests taking the chill off in the microwave.