Artichoke hearts have long been a favorite staple in my family, and at least a couple of cans or more can still be found in my parents' pantry at any given time. While snacking on these delicious morsels with my sister a few months ago, she mentioned that artichokes are actually a member of the thistle species. The hearts which we eat are simply the centers of their young flower buds harvested well before blooming occurs. They sure are tasty, and while I do love eating them fresh, I also love a good shortcut from time to time. For this easy summertime appetizer, I simply used canned whole artichoke hearts and sliced them in half. Delicious and always a huge hit. You can, of course, use fresh artichokes over canned, but make sure to soak or boil the hearts long enough to soften them before grilling.

Easy Grilled Artichokes with Truffled Goat Cheese

• 2 cans whole artichoke hearts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sprinkle of salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons truffle oil
• A handful of fresh baby arugula
• Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional)

Slice artichoke hearts in half and toss with olive oil, salt, & pepper. Grill each side until desired grill marks are achieved. For the sauce, heat goat cheese in a skillet with truffle oil until smooth. Spoon over grilled artichokes and arugula and garnish with cayenne pepper.

If you have truffle salt on hand but no truffle oil, just skip the pre-grill salting and sprinkle your grilled artichokes with truffle salt instead. Then simply crumble the goat cheese on top.