Believe it or Not

I found this dangerously delicious recipe for stuffed artichokes. Believe it or not, everything is edible and easy to make at home. My favorite part of this recipe is how the artichoke is the vessel you serve the dish in. This makes for an easy clean up afterwards.

Stuffed Artichokes

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Recipe type: Appetiser, Entree

Author: Anda Pleniceanu

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 3

Green artichokes stuffed with a Mediterranean filling.

Ingredients

• 3 large artichokes (they should be green, with no brown leaves)
• 2 l water
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple vinegar
• 1 Tbsp herbes de provence (mix of rosemary, savoury, thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram, lavander, tarragon and sage)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp minced sun dried tomatoes
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 4 Tbsp ground fresh parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

1. Wash the artichokes well, spreading the leaves of the plant so that water can reach the base of the leaves.
2. Cut the stems of the artichokes and the small leaves at the bottom of the plant. The artichokes should be able to stand on a flat surface.
3. Slice the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the artichokes with a sharp knife, then cut the top of all the remaining leaves with scissors. The top of the leaves is very sharp so be careful!
4. In a big pot, bring the water to boil, then add the vinegar, 1 Tbsp olive oil and the artichokes. Cook on low, covered, for 10 minutes. The vinegar keeps the artichokes from turning brown.
5. Remove the artichokes from the water, turn them upside down so all the water is drained, then let them cool.
6. Preheat the oven to 250F/ 120C.
7. In a bowl, toss together 2 Tbsp olive oil, herbes de provence, minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, bread crumbs and parmigiano. Stir until they are well blended and the flavours start to fuse.
8. When the artichokes have cooled, discard the leaves at the centre and the fuzzy part with a teaspoon. Don’t worry if you cannot remove everything, as you can discard them later, when you are in the process of eating the artichokes. I like to keep as much as possible from the artichoke because of the amazing nutritional properties of the plant. The point in removing the leaves is to make some place for the filling.
9. Stuffing the artichokes is best done with the hands. Spread the leaves of the artichoke and drop the filling in between the leaves. Drop a larger amount of filling on the top of the artichoke. Continue until all artichokes are filled evenly.
10. Bake for 20 minutes.
11. Remove, let cool for a couple of minutes, then eat by pulling out the leaves and eating the filling on each of the leaves. Make sure to eat the “meaty” part at the base of each leaf. The leaves get more tender as you get closer to the base so you will be able to eat more of the leaf. When you get to the fuzzy part (if you did not remove all of it), get rid of it with a teaspoon and enjoy the heart of the artichoke. It’s really delicious!