Giada De Laurentiis Takes Grilled Artichokes to the Next Level With a ‘Really Fast Sauce’
Grilling season is almost over and Giada De Laurentiis has the perfect dish to close it out, grilled artichokes. The Food Network star grills artichokes and serves them with a quick and easy sauce. Pair them with the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef’s Picnic Pasta and dinner’s ready.
Giada De Laurentiis’ Grilled Artichokes with Bagna Cauda is a 35-minute recipe
Not a lot of time is required to make this dish from De Laurentiis. According to Food Network, her Grilled Artichokes with Bagna Cauda are ready in 35 minutes.
The cookbook author breaks the recipe down into three different categories. The artichokes have to be cleaned and cut before going on the grill. Then there’s the poaching liquid or “broth.” De Laurentiis poaches the artichokes in a combination of fresh herbs, white wine, and lemon juice for 10 minutes because, like apples, artichokes oxidize once they hit the air.
Finally, there’s the sauce that De Laurentiis once described on an episode of Giada in Italy as “really fast” to make. Called bagna cauda, or “hot bath” in Italian, it’s a combination of just a few ingredients.
The Grilled Artichokes with Bagna Cauda sauce is 5 ingredients
De Laurentiis wasn’t kidding when she said she was going to make a “really fast” and “super yummy” sauce to dip the artichokes in on her cooking show. She put five ingredients in a pan on the stove, including pantry classics such as olive oil. Once everything was combined (about three minutes later) the sauce was ready to eat. It was that simple.
De Laurentiis did add one surprising ingredient, anchovy paste. It gives the sauce “depth, richness, flavor,” and a salty bite, she said. Unsure about using anchovy paste at home? The Eat Better, Feel Better author said it’s almost undetectable.
“A lot of times nobody even knows it’s anchovy paste so you don’t have to tell them,” De Laurentiis said. “They’ll just know that it tastes really yummy and it’s got that wonderful salt flavor.”
She also noted anchovy filets are an option but that “paste is easier to use and no one can see it.”
A hot grill is essential to making Giada De Laurentiis’ Grilled Artichokes with Bagna Cauda
Don’t just throw the artichokes on the grill. De Laurentiis explained to get a nice char on them — it “gives them more flavor,” according to the Food Network chef — the grill has to be hot.
“It’s important that it’s nice and hot,” De Laurentiis told viewers before later saying, “You start with a hot grill you will always get grill marks.”
So make sure the grill’s had enough time to heat up before the artichokes go on. That way they’ll get grill marks and a nice charred exterior. Pair De Laurentiis’ cooking tips with her advice for summer entertaining to make dinner that much easier to prepare.
