Stuffed Artichokes

The first of my Thanksgiving posts is stuffed artichokes. This is my mother-in-law's recipe, and she really made them, but I watched closely so maybe I'll be able to do it myself next time. I love it when she makes these, and I now have a much greater appreciation for all the work that goes into prepping the artichokes. I think it makes them taste even better.

Yield

15 artichokes - that's how many we made, since we had a large Thanksgiving gathering. The recipe is easy enough to scale down for less people, and generally each person only eats a half. Not me. I always go for a whole one :D

Equipment

• Knife
• Scissors to cut off the tips of the artichoke leaves
• Potato peeler or long, thin spoon to scoop out the inside of the artichoke
• Large bowl or pot
• Wide, shallow pan with a lid

Ingredients

• 15 artichokes
• 15 oz. Plain breadcrumbs
• 15 oz. Italian seasoning breadcrumbs
• 6 oz. Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 cup Olive oil (you may not use the whole cup, but it's good to make sure you have that much handy to get the right consistency for the filling)
• To taste, lemon juice
• To taste, salt and pepper

Directions

Prepping the Artichokes

Prepping the artichokes is very important. I've had artichokes that weren't properly prepped, and it hurts :(  Not emotionally, it physically hurts. Artichoke leaves have very sharp tips that you have to snip off, or they'll tear up your mouth trying to eat them. 

The first thing to do is cut of the top, about an inch from the top. This gives it a more flat, even look. 

Next cut off the stem, about an inch above where the stem meets the artichoke. Keep the stems, as they can go in the water that you cook the artichokes in to flavor it a bit.

With the stem cut off, it has a flat surface that it can stand up on.

Peel off the couple of leaves right around the bottom, since they can't really be stuffed anyway, as they're too small, and they'll be under the water when you cook them.

Now comes the important part. With scissors, snip the tips of each of the leaves about an inch down, being careful not to miss any leaves. 

Next, using a potato peeler or long, thin spoon, scoop out the insides of the artichoke. See that flower in there? That's what you want to get rid of, as it's not too pleasant to eat.

Now wash them thoroughly under warm water, spreading the leaves apart and making sure you clean under each leaf. You never know what could be hiding under there : / Spreading the leaves also makes it easier to stuff later.

Once each of them are done, put them in a bowl or pot of water with a bit of lemon to keep them from browning. 

Make the Filling (this can be done a day ahead and stored in the fridge)

For the filling, combine both types of bread crumbs. This gives it just enough flavor from the Italian seasoning one, without being too salty.

Next add in the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste,

and the garlic,

stirring to combine. 

Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture

until it's about the consistency of brown sugar or wet sand. It should be able to pack down tightly, but should also fluff up when you stir it with a fork.

Stuff the Artichokes

Using your hands, scoop up a bit of the filling and, spreading the leaves, let the breadcrumbs fall underneath each leaf. 

When each leaf has a good amount of filling, add some more over the top and pack it down.

Place the stuffed artichokes in a wide, shallow pan in about an inch of water and a bit of lemon in the water. 

You can add the stems into the water, too, to give it a bit more flavor.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about an hour, adding water if needed. They're done when you can scrape off a good amount of the artichoke meat (not just the stuffing) easily from the leaf. 

You can serve them right away, or refrigerate them, and just reheat the next day by simmering in the same pan for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

If you're not sure how to eat an artichoke, because it's not a fork-and-knife kind of dish, SimplyRecipes has a good explanation with pictures.