Grilled Artichokes with Rosemary Oil

In my quest to find more grill-able veggies, I broadened our horizons to artichokes this week. I am sort of amazed that we (humans) figured out that this is an edible plant. After all, it is spiky and intimidating and you don't eat all of it by any means. I found some folks who swear by grilling the 'chokes and decided to give it a whirl.  I am pretty sure its the most delicious treatment these thistles can offer. (Try saying "these thistles" four times fast!) Additionally, they are so flavorful on their own that they do not require an additional dressing or dip, but that is certainly an option if you so choose.

4 large artichokes
lemon wedges
1/4 olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Prep a large pot with about 1 inch of water on the bottom.

Trim the artichokes by snipping the pointy ends off the leaves, and cutting off the top inch or so. Cut off about a 1/4 of an inch on the bottom stem and peel away any spots. Remove any leaves that don't look so great. Slice the artichokes down the middle, and scoop out the purple/hairy part of the artichoke. While doing all this trimming, rub the artichoke with lemon to avoid it turning brown (some brown is inevitable here though).

Place the sliced and prepped artichokes in the pot and cover, bringing to a boil. Turn the heat down and steam for about 10-15 minutes. The time here depends on how big the artichokes are, but your goal is not cook them as completely as you were serving them straight out of the pot. While the artichokes are cooking, combine the olive oil and rosemary and microwave for about 30 seconds (till warmed). Set aside allowing the oil to steep in the herbs.

When the artichokes are ready (you can insert a fork easily into the stem and the leaves come off pretty easily), remove them from the pot. Rub each artichoke with the rosemary oil (making sure that the inside is especially well coated.) Salt and pepper each artichoke well.

On a high grill over the flame, grill the artichokes inside down for about 5 minutes, or until they have a nice amount of char on them. Serve immediately, or warm, or even cold. They are delicious any temperature!