Food & Recipes

Recipe for Sunday Brunch: Mini Artichokes with Curry Mayo

Mini Artichokes with Curry Mayo

More than 30 years ago, I was asked to help host a baby shower for a close girlfriend. I said yes, of course. Then, I was asked to contribute a dish for 25-30 women for brunch! That was a little daunting, as I’d never done anything for that many people, much less a dish that was going to be on display. And then, my crazy kicked in. I decided that it would be great fun to do mini artichokes stuffed with a curry mayo. I have no idea where that came from but it sounded like something I would want to eat at a ladies brunch. Did I mention that this was July in Los Angeles and over 95 degrees outside? Mayonnaise stuffed anything? In that heat? Here is what I did and they’re still talking about it 30 years later!

Ingredients

  • 75 baby artichokes
  • Mayonnaise (I use Best Foods because I like the taste)
  • Curry Powder
  • Salt
  • White Pepper
  • Onion Powder
  • Fresh Lemon Juice

Instructions

  1. Begin by trimming the artichokes’ ugly outer leaves. Cut off about the top ¼ and cut the stem completely off (so they will stand). I left several of the dark green outer leaves on, as I wanted the color (and back then I had no idea you were supposed to trim all of the dark leaves off).
  2. Put them in a covered pot of boiling water.
  3. Boil for about 15-20 minutes (time varies depending on how many you are cooking at the same time). I imagine I made them in a couple of batches, as I didn’t have really big pots then.
  4. Stand them up on cookie sheets and put them in the refrigerator to cool.
  5. While they are cooling, mix together: Mayonnaise, Curry Powder, Salt, White Pepper (the black will show), Onion Powder (very little to taste), Fresh Lemon Juice (very very little to taste)
  6. Taste this as you go along and adjust the seasoning to your own palate.
  7. Now comes the tricky part. Take the chilled artichokes out and VERY CAREFULLY dig out the centers (the part with the little hairs) making sure to leave the heart intact. Use the back of the smallest spoon you have. I used toothpicks to hold the leaves apart while I was finishing cleaning the centers out and put them back to chill some more.

After they are all cleaned out, carefully put some of the mayo/curry mix into the center of each artichoke. Et Voila! They each have their own dipping sauce. I placed them side by side on a large platter and served. An impressive dish that wasn’t complicated, just time consuming but all in all worth it for the WOW factor – perfect for a brunch.

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