Baby artichokes are delicious roasted, grilled, sautéed, or steamed. Baby artichokes are small and tender enough that you can eat the choke part, unlike with a larger artichoke. When you roast them, they get almost sweet, and the edges get just a little crispy. Read on for step-by-step instructions for how to trim and prepare baby artichokes and a recipe for roast baby artichokes with spring vegetables.
What are Baby Artichokes?
Baby artichokes are the same vegetable as larger globe artichokes. The only difference is they’re harvested when they’re smaller. Baby artichokes used to only be available in stores in springtime, but I honestly have been seeing them almost year-round now. They are best during the peak season, from March through May.
I never bought baby artichokes before a couple years ago. Now I find I enjoy them roasted even more than jarred marinated artichokes. They’re relatively easy to prepare, but it’s not the most obvious thing if you’ve never done it before. So I decided to take photos of each step in case you’re not familiar with how to trim them. (The time to prepare the artichokes is also included in the below recipe cook time.)
How to Trim Baby Artichokes
First, I mixed the juice of one lemon with some cold water in a small mixing bowl. After I trimmed each artichoke, I put it in the lemon water immediately. This prevents the artichoke from turning brown. (You’ll see that the artichoke was already turning brown during the time I was taking photos.)
Then I used a serrated paring knife to cut off the top third of the artichoke.
Then I peeled off the outer layers by hand. Make sure to remove all the tough leaves.
I used a vegetable peeler to peel the stem. (The stems on these artichokes aren’t very long, but I have bought them before with longer stems. The stem is edible.)
Trim off just the end of the stem.
And cut in half lengthwise before dropping into the lemon water.
After the first couple, I got a lot faster at prepping them. You can also prepare them up to a day in advance and just leave them in the fridge in the lemon water.
How to Roast Baby Artichokes
While baby artichokes are great on their own, I decided to roast them with some other spring vegetables, including carrots, radishes, sugar snap peas, and green onions.
Are you wondering about roasting green onions? They actually get really sweet roasted—think like caramelized onions made from white onions. I like them so much I have another recipe for Cod with Roasted Green Onions and Pistachio.
Soon it’s going to be too hot to turn on the oven to roast vegetables. As someone who loves roast veggies, make these roast spring veggies while you can!
I keep it very simple, using only olive oil and salt and pepper. The artichokes themselves, as well as the green onions and the snap peas, take only 15 minutes to roast, so I give the carrots and the radishes a head start. Then everything’s done at the same time.
This spring side dish goes well with any protein, but I particularly like it with chicken and fish. I also like to add roasted spring vegetables to a salad to have that hot and cold contrast and add some interest. It’s great on a salad with fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese.
If you make this recipe, please give the recipe a rating and/or leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Roast Baby Artichokes and Spring Vegetables
Baby artichokes are small and tender enough that you can eat the choke part, unlike with a larger artichoke. When you roast them, they get almost sweet, and the edges get just a little crispy. Read on for step-by-step instructions for how to trim and prepare baby artichokes and a recipe for roast baby artichokes with spring vegetables.
Ingredients
- juice of 1 lemon
- 8 baby artichokes
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- small bunch (about 10) radishes, halved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
- 1 bunch (about 8) green onions - trim off dark green portion
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray.
Prepare artichokes: Mix lemon juice with cold water in a small mixing bowl. As you trim each artichoke, add it to the bowl of lemon water to prevent browning. Use a serrated knife to cut off the top 1/3 of the artichokes (with the pointy ends). With your hands, peel back the outer leaves at the base and remove until you get to the tender, lighter green leaves inside. Then use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer tough part of the stem. Trim off the very end of the stem. Cut in half lengthwise.
Toss carrots and radishes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread out on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
After the carrots and radishes have been roasting for 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir or shake to move the veggies around. Drain artichokes. Toss artichokes, sugar snap peas, and green onions with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Add the artichokes, snap peas, and onions to the same baking pan with the carrots and radishes and spread out into an even layer. Return to oven and roast for additional 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. (It will be 30 minutes total roasting time for the carrots and radishes.)
Bon Appétit!
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