Artichoke Onion Skewers With a Lemon Vinaigrette & Aioli

These are a great grilled side dish or even make them as small appetizers for a party. Take advantage of frozen ingredients and a fresh lemon vinaigrette and aioli. Now if you have access to fresh baby artichokes, by all means; clean them, blanch, cut in half and use the same way on the skewer. Also if you have patience to peel and blanch the pearl onions, that is great. For special guests I do take the time, but for a quick side dish with some grilled steaks, chicken or seafood or in a hurry for guests coming over. These are perfect with almost just as good as the fresh without all the work. You just need a little time to marinade the skewers, which can easily be done early that day; a simple aioli, again made well ahead of time;and then just grill. I do these often for parties using smaller skewers for bite size appetizers, but same recipe.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 8-12
• Yields: 8-12 skewers

Ingredients

• 2 (9 ounce) boxes artichoke hearts, frozen
• 1 (7 ounce) box  white pearl onions, frozen
•  wooden skewer

• Vinaigrette

• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 lemon, approximately)
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1  teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon garlic, minced
•  salt
•  pepper

• Aioli

• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise (no miracle whip)
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1  teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
• 1  pinch sugar
•  salt
•  pepper

Directions

1. Aioli -- In a small container or bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be made the day ahead.
2. Vinaigrette -- In a 13x9" glass (no metal) pan, add the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well and set to the side.
3. Artichokes and Onions -- These should be thawed, more room temp vs cold where there could be additional liquid in the them. Make sure to dry them off with a paper towel. Cut the artichokes in half, end to end; and skewer 1-3 of the halves alternating with 1-2 of the whole onions, depending on the size of your skewer.
4. Marinate -- Add the artichoke and onion skewers in the 13x9" pan with the marinade. When you first put them in the pan, I take a brush and make sure to coat all sides of the skewers. Cover with plastic wrap for 1-8 hours. More time -- more flavor. If you can, half way through marinating, brush them again and roll them over in the pan to cover all the surface of the vegetables.
5. Grill -- About 5-6 minutes on each side, on medium heat (a bit off to the side). I brush with the leftover marinade during cooking and grill until golden brown.
6. Serve -- Plate along side a bowl of the aioli and a few lemon wedges for a great side dish. They are absolutely delish!
7. Marinating time is not included in total prep time. Also note -- I did not soak the skewers. Since these are cooked pretty quickly, I don't find the need to soak them, and they do have some moisture from the marinade. But be careful of flare ups. Make sure to cook off to the side a bit where they don't get any flames.