It's hard to beat hollandaise sauce or even melted butter as a dip for steamed artichoke leaves and hearts, but this creamy aji amarillo sauce with it's spicy kick comes pretty close.
Look for jarred aji amarillo paste in a Latin food market. If you can't find the paste, you can use frozen aji amarillo peppers. Thaw and dice one pepper, and saute it in olive oil until it's soft. Add the cooked pepper to the rest of the sauce ingredients and process.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 4 medium to large artichokes
- 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste (or one aji amarillo pepper, chopped and sauteed in oil)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese (or similar salty firm cow's milk cheese)
- 2 green onions
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Prepare the artichoke for cooking by trimming off the sharp points of the leaves, and slicing off the top and part of the stem. (See How to Cook Artichokes).
- Bring several inches of water to boil in a large pot. Stand artichokes in the bottom of the pot and cook for 25-40 minutes, until the base of the artichoke (heart) is tender when pierced with a fork, and large interior leaves pull off easily.
- While the artichokes are cooking, coarsely chop the white parts of the green onions.
- Add the chopped onions with all the rest of the ingredients (except the salt and pepper) to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
- Process until mixture is smooth and creamy. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste, and chill until ready to serve.
- Serve artichokes with aji sauce for dipping.
