Grilled Artichokes & Asparagus w/ Green Onion and Basil Aioli

Ingredients
Aioli
2 green onions, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup fresh basil leaves and stems
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp coarse salt
2 fresh egg yolks
1 cup olive oil

Grilled Vegetables
2 large artichokes
1 bunch asparagus
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Aioli
In a food processor, add onions, basil, lemon juice and salt and pulse until combined. Add egg yolks and pulse to combine.  With the blade running continuously, very slowly add the olive oil, pause periodically (about every 1/4 cup or so) to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure even blending. Turn the machine off as soon as all the oil has been added. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilled Vegetables
Prep artichokes by removing the first outer layer of leaves and trimming the pointed edges off the remaining leaves. Cut the stem to about 1 inch in length. In a large pot, add about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, then stand the artichokes on their stems in the pot and cover. Steam until they are just barely tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the artichokes off under cold water for about 30 seconds, then half each one.
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Brush the artichokes and asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place artichokes on the grill first, cut-side down. Grill for 16 minutes, rotating them 90˚ half way through before placing the asparagus on the grill flipping them once after 2 minutes. After 21 minutes total remove vegetables from the grill and serve warm or at room temp with a side of aioli.

Serves 4
From: Marczyk Employee, Whitney Ariss-Checkout her blog at: counterculturecuisine.blogspot.com
Recipe Roundup June 2012