(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 3 fresh artichokes
- 2 large fresh lemons, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or melted butter)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly-chopped
- Sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Coarse sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- ½ cup of parmesan or romano cheese, shredded
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Use a knife to slice off the bottom 1/2-1 inch of the artichoke stems, and the top 1 inch of the artichoke globes (the leaves on top). Remove and discard any small leaves toward the bottoms of the stems and rinse the artichokes with water.
- Slice the artichokes in half vertically and use a spoon to scoop out the fuzzy “choke” in the middle of the artichoke. Then use kitchen shears to trim about 1/4/-inch off the pointy tips of each of the artichoke leaves.
- Rub a lemon wedge all over the entire surface of each artichoke half, to prevent browning.
- Place the artichoke halves in a baking dish or on a baking sheet cut-side-up. Brush the cut sides of the artichokes evenly with the olive oil.
- Next fill the cavities evenly with the garlic, followed by a few small sprigs of the fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
- Flip the artichokes over, using the herbs to help hold in the garlic, so that they are cut-side-down. Brush the tops of the artichokes with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Then remove and cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and the leaves pull off easily.
- Allow artichokes to cook slightly on a cooling rack before carefully removing and discarding the rosemary and drizzling the artichokes with extra lemon juice.
- Serve the roasted artichokes warm with your desired dipping sauce. I prefer a little melted garlic butter.