Globe Artichokes with Lemon Aioli

I was only 17 and on holiday with a French family in Capbreton when Madame presented the table with her version of this dish.  I was horrified as I hadn't a clue what to do with it! I copied everyone else and I think I got away with it.
Prepping the artichokes is a bit of a faff but I can say that without doubt I will never buy mayonnaise again.  This aioli is amazing and so easy to make.  I used the whisk attachment on my stick blender to do all the hard work - a doddle.  I found the recipe in Olive Summer 14 magazine.

Ingredients

2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, 1 halved

4 globe artichokes

3 cloves of garlic

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

300ml olive or rapeseed oil. 

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil with the lemon halves. Cut the stalk off the artichokes and trim the base so it is flat.  Then trim the spiky tops of the leaves with scissors.   Drop the artichokes into the water and boil for 35- 40 mins or until a leaf will pull out easily.  Leave to drain well. 

Whilst the artichokes are cooking, crush the garlic to a fine paste and mix it with the egg yolks, mustard and lemon zest.  Beat in the oil a drop at a time and then a dribble at a time until a thick emulsion forms.  If doing this by hand rope in some muscle.  Season and add enough lemon juice to give flavour without it becoming too sloppy.

To eat, pull off the leaves, dip the broken end into the sauce, eat this and discard the rest. When you reach the middle, lift out the central leaves, scrape away the hairy choke and eat the artichoke heart.  OR

Part the leaves of the cooked artichoke and with a teasp scrape out the hairy choke in the centre leaving the base clean.  Serve with the aioli to dip the leaves in.