SERIOUSLY SIMPLE: Chilled Artichoke Halves with Two Sauces
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the shallot, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, basil, chives and parsley. Whisk to combine and slowly add the oil until totally incorporated. Add salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Place in a tightly covered container. Refrigerate and remove a half-hour before serving to thin the dressing.
Red Pepper Aioli
Makes 1 1/4 cups.
4 garlic cloves
1 roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped medium red bell pepper (bottled are OK but make sure to rinse them well)
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and white pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1. With the motor running, add the garlic cloves to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until pureed. Add the red pepper and process until well blended. Add the mayonnaise and process. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne, and taste for seasoning.
2. Refrigerate the sauce in a tightly covered container until serving time.
(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Holidays," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)
