The first time I ever ate an artichoke was in fifth grade. I was spending the night at a friend's house. Her parents had rooms full of bookshelves filled with Nabokov, listened to NPR during Sunday morning pancake breakfast and took us to an event at the Bellevue Art Museum for fun. Their lives felt slightly more bohemian than ours and parts of my own adult life remind me of them. While my lunches were full of standard fruit like apples, oranges, or bananas, my friend would bring pomegranates, so it was no surprise that I would try something new there. What was surprising was what a revelation the artichoke was. After a brief lesson in how to scrape the leaves with your teeth as you work your way to the heart, I was off and running, dipping my leaves in melted butter with reckless abandon.
While it is still a special occasion vegetable (due to cost and availability), both Trent and I appreciate an artichoke every now and then. Nowadays, we most frequently dip the leaves in an aioli from one of the Moosewood cookbooks. However, in Trent's younger days, he most often accompanied artichokes with this sauce recipe that his mother passed on to me.
- 1 pint sour cream
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
- 5 to 6 tsp. cider vinegar (can also use wine or flavored vinegar)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Heat until hot, but do not let boil. Adjust milk to make sauce desired consistency. Adjust cider to personal taste.
I made a half recipe and Trent mentioned it was a bit salty (which is unusual for him), so if you make it, you may want to cut back a bit.
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