Artichokes with Curry Mayo Dip

For as long as I've been married to Doug, getting him to eat vegetables has been a little tough.  Since I'm not his mom, there wasn't much I could do except leave out veggies in practically everything I made.  He hates everything from corn, onions, cabbage to tomatoes, broccoli, squash...the list can go on for pages.  Surprisingly though after his long list of hates, he really digs artichokes. For a really light dinner, I steamed up a couple of artichokes and served it with melted lemon butter (for him) and a curry mayo dipping sauce for me.  


To prep for steaming, I sliced about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke.  Using scissors I cut off the thorned tips of all of the leaves and chop about an inch off the stem.  I rinse it under cold running water to remove any dirt hidden between the leaves.


Fill a pot with a few inches of water and toss in some lemon slices and a garlic clove for flavor.  Bring the water to a boil and then lower to a simmer.  Drop the steamer basket on top and cover.   It'll take about 30-45 minutes for the artichoke to become tender.  These were pretty large.  It took the full 45 minutes.
 



Curry Mayonnaise Dip
1 cup mayonnaise2 teaspoons curry powder2 teaspoon butterLemon juice to tasteSalt and pepper  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  Add curry powder.  Let it gently simmer for 1 to 2 minutes over low heat.  Cool the curry butter mixture and then add to the mayo.    Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.  Mix well and serve.

Pluck, dip, scrape with your bottom teeth and enjoy!