The lastest book from the Cook My Book group that I'm in was Fire and Smoke: A Pitmaster's Secrets by Chris Lilly.The idea of the group is that at the beginning of the year, we each choose a book that we want to share, and we send the book to the next person on the list. Every few weeks, we all mail that book ... and it continues until each book has passed through everyone's hands and ends up back with its owner, with notes, comments, drawings, cartoons, messages, and food splatters that memorialize all the dishes that the cooks have made.
I didn't get very far in my browsing when I found a recipe for artichokes with a spicy mayo.
Well, I already had the artichokes - I'd already cooked them, so I didn't need the recipe for grilling them, but the spicy mayo sounded good. I usually stuff artichokes, but sometimes a little dip is good, too.
This mayo was perfect for my artichokes, but it would also be good on warm potatoes or mixed into a potato salad. Or smeared onto a sandwich or a burger or dolloped onto asparagus. Or on fish tacos. Or pretty much anywhere that mayonnaise and spice go together
I only made half of the recipe because I knew I didn't need quite that much. I also used less cayenne because, while I like spicy foods a lot, I didn't want to overwhelm the flavor of the artichoke.
This is the half-recipe, the way I made it. Taste it and add more cayenne if you want it even spicier.
Spicy Mayonnaise
Adapted from Fire and Smoke
by Chris Lilly
2 teaspoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dry dill weed
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.
You can use this immediately, but I always like these sorts of dips or spreads after they've had time for the spices to hydrate and for the flavors to mingle.
