Artichokes.

Now that Spring is officially here, artichokes are making more visible appearances in our markets and I just picked up two HUGE ones because they happen to be one of my favorite vegetables. While you can pretty much buy them year-round, I always look forward to eating them in Spring and Summer when they taste the best and make great complements to barbecue dishes.

What's more fun that eating the actual artichoke? Trying new dipping sauces... this one comes from Cooking Light so I don't feel too guilty eating it.

Ingredients -

• 2 whole garlic heads
• 4 medium artichokes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional) 

Directions -
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.

3. Cut off stems of artichokes, and remove bottom leaves. Trim about 1/2 inch from tops of artichokes. Place artichokes, stem ends down, in a large Dutch oven filled two-thirds with water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until a leaf near the center of each artichoke pulls out easily. Remove artichokes from pan.

4. Combine half of garlic pulp and wine in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Add broth; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in butter and salt. Pour mixture into a blender; add remaining half of garlic pulp. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Sprinkle dip with parsley, if desired. Serve dip with warm artichokes.