Grilled Artichokes with Tomato-Balsamic Chutney

I must admit, I have never eaten an artichoke before. It's a weird looking, strange vegetable. Our newspaper had an article on grilled artichokes one day last week and I saved the recipe because they looked so delicious! Plus, they are very good for you. The picture really doesn't do it justice! Here is one of the recipes we tried this weekend. Mike says, "Two thumbs up!"

Chutney:
5 ripe tomatoes
1/2 med yellow onion
1/2 bunch green onions
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (I used ground)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. Balsamic vinegar
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 bay leaf

1. Chop tomatoes and onions into large dice. Slice green onions into rounds. Combine with remaining chutney ingredients. Place in a medium saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. remove bay leaf.
2. Cook artichokes. Cut stem and leave about 1 inch. Place in a pot with about 3 inches of water and boil for approx. 30 minutes, or until stem is tender. Careful of the prickly ends! No need to remove them.
3. Slice artichokes in half and remove spiny center. Brush with olive oil and place on grill for about 10 minutes, turning half way.
4. Top each half of an artichoke with some chutney.
*how do you eat these? Well, you take each "leaf" of the artichoke, slide in between your teeth to get the "meat" off and discard the rest. You will notice that the top is kind of waxy- don't eat that part! You can also use balsamic vinegar as a dipping sauce, along with topping each with a bit of chutney.

This is a good "appetizer" type meal. I paired this with salad and bread, and it filled us up!