Simple Dipping Sauce for Artichokes
Artichokes . . .
I can barely remember the first time I tried one – I don’t think I was impressed.
But that was before . . . “the sauce.”
This dipping sauce recipe comes from my big brother, who introduced it to our family ages ago.
Barth put his spin on a recipe used at a steakhouse where he worked as a cook.
He improved on the original recipe by adding . . . garlic. Of course. The steakhouse is no more, but the sauce lives on.
Bless you, Barth, for your kitchen wisdom.
Prior to Barth’s rescue of the family from imminent artichoke boredom, I had tried dipping in butter, dipping in mayo, dipping, dipping, dipping.
But nothing compares to dipping tender, luscious artichoke petals into a sublime combination of butter AND mayo, seasoned so perfectly with Lawry’s Season Salt, garlic and lemon.
Recently, Jackie and Alyssa decided to prep artichokes.
I found this so odd, yet so amusing.
One of them lives in Idaho; the other in Colorado. They must have been on the same “sisterly wave length.” I’m not sure they realize they were craving artichokes at the same time . . .
Jackie was first to contact me for the sauce recipe. (Between you and I, I think she might have me on speed dial…)
She tells me she also happened to try a chipotle mayo {affiliate} as a substitute/backup for the sauce.
She said it was pretty good so I’m going to test that out.
Sadly, Alyssa didn’t get in touch with me for the recipe soon enough.
Her artichokes were ready. She had to try another dipping sauce. I gather the recipe she used was a bit of a disappointment.
So this recipe is for you, Alyssa!
As long as internet is available, you will never again have to make do with a subpar dipping sauce for your artichokes.
Artichokes are a fun appetizer – plucking the petals with your hands and dipping into the sauce one at a time.
I have a happy memory of an evening out with friends in Solana Beach – we treated ourselves to a dinner consisting of white wine, artichokes, King crab legs and sourdough bread.
Such a simple and satisfying meal.
ENJOY – The Recipe Wench
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Season Salt
- Squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- for the sauce:
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in mayo, season with granulated garlic, Lawry's Season Salt and a squeeze of lemon.
- To cook artichokes:
- Trim stems so that base of artichoke is flat. You can leave up to an inch of stem, but the stems tend to be a little bitter so I usually just toss them.
- Optional: slice about 1 inch off the top of the artichoke. I suggest a serrated bread knife for this.
- Optional: Take scissors and trim the tips of each petal to remove the tiny thorn. This is a nice step to take if you have the time, but it’s not imperative.
- Rinse artichokes under cold water. Open the petals a bit so the water gets inside.
- Place the artichokes in a large pot.
- Cover with water.
- Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon. I usually just toss the lemon in the pot after squeezing
- Bring to boil and continue cooking until tender (approx. 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke). They’re ready once the outer petals can be pulled off easily.
- Remove from pot and turn over onto a plate or colander for a few minutes so that the water can drain.
Notes
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