Stir-Fried Baby Artichokes

Recipe by The FruitGuys

INGREDIENTS

• Three baby artichokes
• One lemon halved & squeezed into a large glass bowl with water
• Two cloves garlic, minced
• One tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper

PREPARATION

1. Have your bowl with lemon/water ready. Snap off the outer layers of the leaves until you get to smooth, light pale green leaves.
2. With a sharp paring knife, peel the dark green layer off the stem. Also, cut off the top 1”³ of the artichoke.
3. Now, with top of the artichoke facing down against the cutting board, cut the artichoke into thin 1/4”³ slices.
4. Place slices in lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
5. In a large skillet, put enough olive oil to at least cover the bottom of the pan.
6. Let the olive oil heat up over medium-high heat.
7. Drain artichokes.
8. When hot, add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add only enough artichoke slices to make one layer in the pan (you may have to do this in a couple of batches.) You don’t want to overcrowd the pan; otherwise the artichokes will steam, not fry.
9. Fry the artichokes until the edges are a little charred and crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping over once. Repeat with remaining.
10. Top with a sprinkling of kosher salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve warm.

Cook’s note: If you don’t cook the artichokes long enough, they will taste bitter. So make sure that you only have one layer of artichokes in the pan at a time. Make sure that you cook them through. The best way to judge? Snag a piece and taste! They should be tender at the heart, and charred-crisp at the edge.