Artichokes With Lemon Zaatar Dipping Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Fill 5-quart saucepan two-thirds full with water. Heat to boiling.
• Use knife to trim thick stem at bottoms of each artichoke. Using scissors, snip off tips of leaves. Cut and discard 1 1/2 inches off top of each artichoke. Rinse artichokes thoroughly with cold running water, and transfer them to pan of boiling water. Add juice of 1 lemon and salt to taste. Cover; cook over medium-low heat about 45 minutes or until bottoms of artichokes are tender.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat dipping sauce ingredients with whisk until emulsified. Pour into dipping bowl, and set aside.
• Gently remove cooked artichokes from hot water and place upside down on cooling rack to drain 5 minutes. Turn right side up, and gently pull open tops of artichokes until you see pale yellow leaves, and pull those out to reveal the hairy choke. Use a spoon to scoop out the choke. Use your hands to gently close up the artichokes.
• To eat, pull off leaves starting at base, dip in sauce and bite off soft part found at base of each leaf. Discard remaining part of leaf. Once all leaves are gone, you will find the artichoke heart. Eat that part with the help of a fork and knife, dipping it in sauce.

Steps:

• Pull off any brown or very tough outer leaves from one artichoke. Use a sharp knife to cut off the top 1 inch of artichoke, then rub with the cut side of the lemon. Use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the pointy tops off the remaining outer layer of leaves. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the stem down to its tender pale-colored core; immediately rub the stem with a lemon half. Use your fingers to separate the center leaves to expose the fuzzy pale choke sitting on top of the heart. Use a grapefruit spoon (or other spoon) to scoop out the choke, and rub a little lemon juice over the exposed flesh. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
• Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water, place a steamer basket inside, and bring water to a simmer. Place the artichokes bottoms down on the rack, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer over low heat until you can easily pull off an artichoke leaf, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the steamer basket and transfer to a serving platter.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Slowly whisk in butter. To serve, have everyone pull off the leaves and dunk the meaty bottoms into the lemon butter, swirling to mix butter with each dip (the butter will separate as it sits).

Steps:

• Make the lemon za'atar dipping sauce: Put the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sesame seeds, thyme, mustard, sumac, salt, and cayenne in a small mixing bowl. Stir well with a rubber spatula or a spoon to combine. (Note: The sauce can be refrigerated, with plastic wrap pressed against the surface, for up to 2 days.).
• Prepare the artichokes: first cut off the bottom portion of the stem, leaving only 1 inch of the stem attached. Using a sharp knife (sometimes a serrated knife works best for this), cut off the tip of the artichoke, slicing straight across about 2 inches down. Using scissors, clip off the sharp spikes on the tips of the remaining leaves.
• Put the artichokes in a large pot, and add enough water to reach three-quarters of the way up the artichokes. Squeeze the lemon quarters into the water and then throw the quarters in as well. Add the salt and olive oil to the water. Cover, and cook over high heat until the water comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, still covered, for 30 minutes. Test an artichoke to see if it's done by gently tugging one of the lower leaves. It should come off easily but with resistance, and the whole leaf should pull out in one piece, not fall apart.
• Turn off the heat. Remove the artichokes, put them upside down on a plate to drain, and let them cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once they have cooled, cut each artichoke in half lengthwise. With a spoon, gently scoop out and discard the fuzzy inner choke and the pointy purple leaves that line the inside. Cut each half in half again, creating small portions that are more easily shared. Arrange them on a platter and serve with the lemon za'atar dipping sauce.

Steps:

• Mix the mayonnaise and garlic together in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and basil; whisk until thoroughly combined. Beat the Worcestershire sauce into the mixture. Serve immediately, or chill until serving.