Grilled Sous Vide Artichokes with Lemon and Butter
Courtesy of Chef Josh Horrigan (thechefsacademy.com)
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 lemons
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) sea salt
- pinch cracked pepper
- 3 or 4 large artichokes
- 1/2 cup (20 g) fresh parsley
- Bamboo kabob skewers
- 1 cup (240 ml) drawn butter (or melted ghee) for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill and preheat set sous vide water bath to 185F/85C.
- Finely grate the zest of one lemon into a large bowl. Cut it and another one of the lemons in half to use to prevent discoloration of the cut artichokes in step 4. Cut the other two lemons into wedges just before serving.
- To the zest, add the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine the marinade.
- Working with one artichoke at a time to prevent discoloring from oxidation:
- Trim away and discard the bottom 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) of the stem.
- Break off any small leaves on the stem, and then peel the stem with a vegetable peeler or small knife.
- Rub the stem with a cut lemon.
- Remove the first 3 layers of outer leaves, starting at the base, by bending back a leaf until it snaps, then pulling down to remove the leaf.
- With a vegetable peeler or small knife, trim away the tough outer skin remaining from the discarded leaves. Rub this area with lemon.
- Using a sharp knife, cut off and discard the top third of the artichoke. Rub the cut area with lemon.
- Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise through the stem end. Cut each half in half again (lengthwise) to create a total of 4 wedges. If the artichoke is very large, cut it into 6 wedges. Rub all cut surfaces with one of the lemon halves.
- Remove 5 or 6 layers of the pale, inner leaves and use a small spoon to remove the hairy choke. Rub all over with lemon.
- Transfer the wedges to the bowl with the olive oil mixture and toss to coat all surfaces of the artichokes.
- Repeat with the remaining 3 artichokes.
- Transfer the artichoke quarters to a cooking pouch, add any remaining marinade from the bowl, arrange the wedges in a single layer, and vacuum seal. It may be necessary to use several pouches.
- Refrigerate the pouch(es) for 2 hours to allow the marinade to infuse.
- Submerge the pouch(es) in the water bath and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender, but not mushy.
- Preheat a lightly oiled grill or grill pan to high heat.
- Remove the artichokes from the water bath, transfer them to a platter, and load the quarters onto bamboo skewers.
- Grill over high heat to add some charred marks.
- Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired, and serve them hot or at room temperature, with the lemon wedges and drawn butter for dipping.