Recipe :: Roasted Baby Artichokes

Ingredients
1-2 pounds of baby artichokes
1 lemon
parmesan
sea salt & pepper
olive oil

Method

Only buy very fresh artichokes, best when they are in season. To clean artichokes; remove outer tough leaves, using a peeler clean the stem if needed and cut in half. To keep artichokes a vibrant green color place in a water bath with lemon juice. Dry and place artichokes on a sheet pan. I find that the smaller artichokes dont have the spiky hairy center the way the larger ones do. So I didn't remove the center and just roasted them whole. If there seems to be that fuzzy center use a small spoon to scoop it out before baking. Drizzle artichokes with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender, turning a few times to ensure even cooking. In a small bowl add the zest of one lemon, the juice of half and drizzle in olive oil. Season with a little salt. When artichokes are finished, leave to cool. Plate the artichokes and drizzle the vinaigrette, and top with shaved parmesan. The addition of fresh herbs is nice.