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The classic Greek sauce, avgolemono, is a great low-fat alternative to the melted butter, mayonnaise or vinaigrette dipping sauces usually served with artichokes.
Snap the stems off four large artichokes and trim the bases so that they will sit upright on a plate. Boil a potful of water to which you have added the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt. Drop the artichokes in and boil for 30 minutes or until they are tender. Test by pulling off an outer leaf and trying the flesh at the base for tenderness.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring a cup of chicken stock to the boil. In a cup, mix about two-thirds of a tablespoon of cornflour with a little water until it is smooth and add to the boiling stock, stirring until it thickens.
Separate 3 eggs, beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks, then add the yolks and continue beating tin the whole mass is fluffy. Still beating, add the juice of a lemon and pour in the boiling stock. Pour this mixture back into the stock saucepan, and stir it over a low heat for a couple of minutes. It must not boil.
Place the artichokes in the centre of warmed plates and pour the avgolemono over them. Serve.
Makes 4 servings.
From "Raw Materials" by Meryl Constance, The Syndey Morning Herald, 10/13/92. Courtesy Mark Herron.