Combine the olive oil, garlic, and oregano in a small bowl.

Rinse the artichokes and cut the stem and about 1 inch of the top of the artichoke off. Trim the thorns off of each leaf and pull the leaves open so you can rinse the interior of the artichoke. This ensures that you’ll get all of the dirt out of the chokes. Nobody likes sand in their food.

Put a steamer basket in a large pot and fill with water to just below the top of the basket. Put the chokes in the basket, spread the olive and garlic mixture on the tops of the chokes, put the lemon slices in the pot, and bring the water to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately one hour, or until the leaves begin to fall off and the meat at the end of the leaves is tender.

FOR THE SPICY MAYO

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt and stir until it’s smooth and creamy.

Dip the artichoke leaves and the heart in the dip and enjoy!