Stuffed Artichokes

One of the things I look forward to most every spring is artichokes being in season! Stuffed artichokes are one of my all time favorites and while they can seem a little intimidating to prepare, I promise they’re sooo worth it!

Ingredients

5 medium sized artichokes

1 lemon

1 1/2 cups of plain breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

2 cloves of garlic, minced

enough extra virgin olive oil to bind the breadcrumb mixture

salt to taste

Directions

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice of one lemon into it

To clean the artichoke: Cut off about 1 inch from the top, peel off the outer leaves which are tougher (about 2-3 layers), use scissors to cut off the top sharp parts of the leaves, cut the bottom stem off, slowly open the center of the artichoke and using a spoon make sure to scrap all of the choke out of the center. Do this one artichoke at a time making sure to place them in the lemon water when complete so they don’t oxidize.

In a bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, parsley, red pepper flakes, parmigiano, garlic, salt and olive oil. Take each artichoke and gently separate the leaves and spoon the breadcrumb mixture into it. Place all of the artichokes into a large pot, making sure they are standing upright. Fill the pot with water until it touches the first row of leaves, then add about a tablespoon of salt to the water. Drizzle the top of the artichokes with some extra virgin olive oil.

Place the covered pot on high heat to bring to a boil. Once it boils, bring it down to a simmer and let it cook about 40-45 minutes until the artichoke it tender. Serve warm.

Buon appetito!