Artichokes With Vinaigrette Dip

Been a really busy week for me, don't really have the time to work on an original recipe to post.  I never had the privilege of tasting artichokes for the first 21 years of my life, and truthfully I didn't think I was missing much.  In fact, when my husband brought home artichokes and asked my to cook them, I looked at him at said "why? are you planning to eat that?"  I could not imagine how to serve those cactus looking vegetables.  They looked stiff, poky and inedible, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted this creamy light food.  These artichokes are cooked till soft and then eaten dipping the individual leaves in a vinaigrette.  When you take off the leaf, you find a soft white flesh at the bottom of the inside of the leaf.  After dipping in the vinaigrette you scrape your teeth against the soft part. When you get to the center, that's the real treat!  The melt in your mouth center is mouth watering eaten dipped in the vinaigrette.  Eating this is an activity of itself.   Keep a large bowl on hand to collect the discarded leaves.

Artichokes With Vinaigrette Dip

• Artichokes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Place Artichokes in large pot of water and bring to boil.  Artichokes are finished cooking when leaf comes out easily when pulled on.
Mix dip ingredients in a small bowl until well blended and smooth.
Serve and Enjoy!

Enjoy,
Chanie