Alcachofas Con Pisco Y Huacatay

Artichokes with Pisco-Lime Butter & Huacatay Aioli

Franciscan monks from Spain were probably the first to bring alcachofas, artichokes, down south to Peru. Giant criolla artichokes, with triangular leaves and spiky tips, are the variety popular in Peru. You’ll find them piled up in market bins, often with the hearts floating in a lime-water bath nearby to save you the trouble of trimming the artichokes. The more common green globe variety that you find in the United States are a big export business today. I’ve always loved alcachofas, but no one else in my family really ate them. When I went to the market to do the weekly shopping, I’d bring home a couple to boil and eat by myself with nothing more than a little garlic, ají amarillo paste, and a few squeezes of lime juice mixed together as a dipping sauce—so good.

The sauces served with artichokes are talked about so much, it's easy to forget the flavors a good braising liquid can bring to the table. Toss whatever citrus you have in your produce drawer into the pot, along with some root vegetables and a big knob of ginger. Grilling alcachofas is actually my favorite way to get the good, charred flavor that makes the artichoke flavors really pop, but if you don’t have time to light the grill, you can sauté the artichokes in Pisco-Lime Butter (page 50) and then broil each for a few seconds.

• 3 citrus fruits (whatever you have on hand), preferably 1 lemon, lime, and orange
• 4 large artichokes, or about 2 pounds baby artichokes
• 1 (2- to 3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and quartered
• 1 stalk celery, quartered
• 1 large carrot, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ½ cup pisco or white wine (optional)
• Pisco-Lime Butter (recipe)
• About ½ cup huacatay aioli (page 38), or your favorite aioli or mayonnaise
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

1 Halve whatever citrus you are using and squeeze the juice directly into a large stockpot or Dutch oven. You don’t need to fish out the seeds. Fill the pot about one-third full with water.

2 If using large artichokes, use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to remove the spiky tips on each leaf. Cut off about 1 inch from the top of the artichoke and if the stem is long, trim it to about 1 inch and peel the stem. If using baby artichokes, peel off the tough outer green skin from the stems and cut about ¼ inch off the top. Drop the artichokes into the citrus water.

3 Toss the ginger, celery, carrot, bay leaf, and salt into the pot and add the pisco (if using). Add more water as needed to cover the artichokes by about 1 inch. Place a saucepan or a metal bowl with a can of tomatoes inside on top of the artichokes to keep them submerged. Bring the water to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook the artichokes until tender, 25 to 30 minutes for large artichokes and 12 to 15 minutes for baby artichokes. Use tongs to transfer the artichokes to a strainer and rinse them under cold water for a good 30 seconds so they cool quickly. Halve the large artichokes through the stem; leave the baby artichokes whole. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the artichokes for up to 1 day.

4 Prepare a regular or hibachi grill for direct, high-heat cooking. If using baby artichokes, thread them on a few skewers. When the grill is hot, place the large artichokes, cut side down, on the grill, or lay the skewered baby artichokes on the grill. Grill the artichokes until you get good char marks, about 2 minutes, then flip them and brush the tops of the artichokes with the pisco-lime butter. Grill for another minute or so until the artichokes are nicely browned on the bottom and brush them again with the butter. Flip, grill for another minute, or until the butter begins to turn nutty brown and caramelize, and brush the artichokes one more time with the butter. Transfer the artichokes to a plate.

5 To serve, arrange the artichoke halves, cut side down, on serving plates, or scatter the grilled baby artichokes on the plates. Serve plenty of the huacatay aioli alongside the artichokes for dunking the leaves, and don’t forget the lime wedges. Put a small knife nearby so whoever is lucky enough to peel off the last leaves can cut the heart to share.

Pisco-Lime Butter

Makes about ½ cup

I love this citrusy garlic butter on almost any grilled fish, from whitefish to salmon. An ear of corn slathered with it is crazy hard to refuse.

• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons pisco
• 1 teaspoon pureed garlic (page 37)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1 In a small saucepan, heat the butter, pisco, and garlic paste over medium-high heat until the butter melts and the mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and salt.

2 If not using immediately, you can pour the pisco-lime butter into a covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 days, if you’d like. Gently rewarm the butter on the stove over low heat, but be careful not to brown or burn it.