Stuffed Artichokes
Makes 4 large artichokes
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Medium bowl
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 4 medium artichokes*
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup freshly grated pecorino romano plus more for serving
- 2-3 anchovies finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves finely grated
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2-3 cups water
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add cold water to a large bowl and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. This is will be for the prepped artichokes. Set aside.
- Prep each artichoke by first cutting off the long bottom stem, so that it stands upright on its own. Cut about 1-2 inches off the top of the artichoke.
- Next, remove any small leaves from the bottom. Using kitchen shears, cut the prickly top off each of the leaves. Place the artichoke in the lemon water, to prevent from browning. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
- In a medium bowl, add breadcrumbs, pecorino, anchovies, zest of 1 lemon, garlic, parsley, basil and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix with your hands to fully incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It's ok if the filling is a touch on the salty side, as it will be the seasoning for the whole artichoke.
- Remove artichokes from the water and shake to remove any excess water. Use your thumbs to separate the leaves a bit so that there is more space for the filling.
- Fill the artichokes with as much filling in between the leaves as you can. It will be a bit messy, but worth it!
- Place artichokes snugly in a large pot. Drizzle the tops with a bit more olive oil. Pour water into the bottom of the pot. You want about 1 inch of water in the pot.
- Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until they are fork tender. Add more water as needed during the cooking process if it seems like it is getting low. **
- Serve topped with more cheese, pepper, and olive oil, if desired. Eat them leaf by leaf until you reach the center prickly, choke part. Use a spoon to remove the choke and reveal the artichoke heart. I like to drizzle the heart with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. YUM.
Notes
*If your artichokes are very large, double the filling recipe!
**The cooking time can really vary! It may end up taking much longer if the artichokes are big or even if they are older, they can take longer to get tender.
***To eat: Use your teeth to “scrape” the tender meat and filling from the leaf and then discard the leaf. The heart can be eaten in its entirety, once the choke is removed 🙂
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!