Artichokes with Smoked-Herb Mayonnaise

By mirandavoegeli

"You can 'turn' the artichokes, but that's a bit fancy and laborious," says Richard Blais about the chef technique of trimming the hearts down. It's much easier to serve the steamed artichokes whole; their nutty flavor is especially delicious with the smoky, herb-flecked mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• 4 large artichokes, stems trimmed
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped capers
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• Hot sauce
• Freshly ground pepper

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Set a steamer basket in a large pot over 1/2 inch of boiling water. Arrange the artichokes, stem side down, in the basket. Cover and steam over moderate heat until a knife easily pierces the stems, about 30 minutes. Transfer the artichokes to a platter.

In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, dill, capers, lemon zest and juice, salt and paprika. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and season the mayonnaise with pepper. Serve the artichokes warm or lightly chilled with the mayonnaise.