Oven Roasted Garlic and Lemon Artichokes

I love a good artichoke recipe, don’t you? And if you’ve been following me here on my journey, then you might remember how excited I was to finally learn how to grow them myself here in zone 5. I’ve also shared with you some basic tips on how to select and steam them, which is the most popular way to prepare them whole. But what I really love is a good roasted or grilled artichoke, methods that bring out a whole new dimension of flavor for these lovely and tasty thistles.

You can’t be afraid to roast these until they start to char along the edges; that char is what gives these their smokey flavor. The outer leaves are really all that crisp up here, while the inner leaves and heart soak up all the flavor. If you have fresh herbs on hand, they’re a great addition to these; you can throw them in stems and all.

Oven Roasted Garlic and Lemon Artichokes Recipe

• 3 large artichokes
• 12 large cloves garlic, 8 of them smashed and 4 of them minced
• 2 large lemons; zest one of them, juice one & 1/2 of them (about 1/4 cup), and slice the remaining half into 6 thin slices. Keep the lemon halves you juiced because you’re going to use them to rub the artichoke parts that you cut, to prevent browning.
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450°
• Remove the first two layers of bottom leaves of the each of the artichokes and discard
• Trim 1/4 inch off the bottom of the stem of each artichoke and discard
• Use a vegetable peeler or a small knife to peel the outer layer of the stem and trim off any remaining leaf bases from the leaves you removed from each artichoke
• Use one of the lemon halves you used for juicing and rub it along the base and stem to prevent them from turning brown
• Cut off 1/2 inch of the top of each of the artichokes and rub with lemon
• Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise and rub the exposed areas with lemon
• Using a small spoon, such as an iced tea spoon (my go-to choice) or a paring knife, scoop or cut out the furry choke and sharp inner leaves from the center of the heart, rubbing each heart with lemon as you go
• Gently pull apart the leaves of each artichoke half and sprinkle with the garlic that you minced in between some of the leaves
• Place the artichoke halves cut side up in a roasting pan
• Placed the crushed garlic cloves into the hollowed-out hearts
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Drizzle with lemon juice
• Drizzle with olive oil
• Place lemon slices on top of each artichoke
• Place in preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes
• Remove pan, turn the artichokes over so they’re cut-side down, and cover pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil
• Return to oven for 20 minutes
• Reduce heat to 400°
• Continue roasting for 30-40 minutes until the artichokes are tender and outer leaves are charred
• Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving

Here are a couple of shots of them before they go into the oven:

If you’d like, serve these with a dipping sauce, such as a lemon butter or hollandaise sauce on the side. I have an easy and quick hollandaise sauce recipe here if you need one. These really have a lovely flavor all on their own though; the olive oil and lemon juice really shine here while still letting the taste of the roasted artichokes come through. If you really love lemon, squeeze a bit more juice on them before serving.

Artichokes are a good source of fiber, vitamins C and K, and are a delicious part of the Mediterranean diet so we should all be enjoying them more often.

To grill these instead of roasting, just prepare them in a grill-safe pan and prepare and cook as stated. And if you have any leftovers, these are delicious chilled and make a great snack the day after making them.

Enjoy!