Artichokes Roasted

OMG! I loved these roasted artichokes! I must, first, admit that I subsituted the thyme with rosemary - and I loved the taste of the rosemary, with these artichokes. This was such a brillant way to cook the artichokes - I have never roasted artichokes, in the oven, before. I found that, this is, by far, the easiest and most stress-free way to cook artichokes. I can't imagine that I will cook them any other way again! The roasted taste was absolutely yummy. By cutting the artichokes in half, they also looked so beautiful, on the plate, with the cut side up. It is best to then turn the artichokes over (with the cut side down), in order to eat them; however, the presentation of the cut side up was lovely, almost looking like a flower. The presentation and the ease of cooking them (and also eating them) make it so much more dinner party-friendly, than some of the other ways of cooking/serving artichokes. I did add the 1/4 cup water that the posting chef mentioned that she would probably do next time - and I believe that it really added more moisture and allowed for more efficent steaming. I also did not have whole lemon (or lemon slices), on hand, so I used lemon juice and minced garlic, when placing them underneath each artichoke half, before placing them in the oven. Once the artichokes were finished roasting, I sprinkled only the salt on each one (I did not add the lemon slices or sprinkle additional garlic on them). Instead, once I had removed the artichokes from the pan, I added butter and garlic to the pan drippings (using enough butter to make a dipping sauce, for as many people, as needed). I stirred the butter, garlic, and pan drippings, while the pan was still very hot, until the butter was completly melted, and then poured the entire combination, into individual dipping bowels. Wow!!!! Was it fantastic!!!! (I must admit that, according the the diners at my table, the rosemary, in the dipping ssauce, really added to the flavor). This is a beautiful, extraordinary, absolutely yummy dish (that can be served, as either a side dish or as a whole, light meal). I highly recommend it and kudos to the chef, for posting, such an amazing recipe!!!!!

Thanks Barb,<br/>Living in CA I've cooked a lot of artichokes, and these are a keeper. They do need a bit of water (4 Tb for my 2 artichokes) to insure they steam properly, and checking every 5 min after about the 40 min mark is a good idea. <br/><br/>Thanks for posting!

So very yummy. I've made these twice in the past two weeks and our artichoke plants are just starting to produce, so I will get to make more soon!! I just used 2 tsp olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic tonight with a small pat of butter added right before serving and it was wonderful as well. I can't imagine steaming my chokes ever again if they are going to be eaten plain. 50 minutes seems to be the magic cook time for me, and I definitely agree with adding the 1/4 cup of water to the pan.

My husband loved the intense flavor this recipe gave the artichokes. After cutting the vegetables in half I cleaned the fuzzy choke out of the artichoke. I placed extra crushed garlic cloves and sliced lemons around chokes, and a dozen whole pepper corns. After baked covered for 50 minutes I removed the foil, spooned out the soft garlic, salted the chokes and cooked them uncovered an additional 10 minutes. The garlic I mashed into 2 tablespoon of a good mayonaise and served it as a dip on the side. YUM

Elegant, easy, excellent! Along with the thyme, I added sage, a dash of hot sauce, and about 1/2 c. chicken broth (made with Better Than Boullion). I also cut the garlic into slivers and inserted them among the artichoke leaves. I found myself wishing for more of that luscious pan sauce, but I fear they would steam rather than bake if more liquid were added. You make your choices!