The Painted Apron

One of my besties stuck this recipe in my mailbox the other day and said “You need to make this!” She knows that we LOVE artichokes around here, so that was REALLY sweet, but what she didn’t know is that I tried making stuffed artichokes a few months ago and it was a major FAILURE.  So, I felt like this was an omen, a SURE sign that I should not give up, but try, try again…

The first time I tried this method, I didn’t cook the artichokes prior to stuffing them.  Major mistake, that is why the big failure, they never got soft.  This time I cooked the artichokes in my usual method, boiling and steaming.

Cut off the stem and the sharp tip of the leaves.  Use a knife to cut the stem and about 1 inch off the top, then trim the rest of the leaves with kitchen scissors.

Place the artichokes in a pot of cold water, I usually fill the pot about half way.  Cover and turn burner to high.  When water begins boiling and you see steam escaping, turn heat down to low and let the artichokes steam/boil for 1 hour or until they are tender.   Carefully remove from pot and drain upside down on a kitchen towel.

The recipe my friend gave me called for anchovies, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on that so I made a simple stuffing with breadcrumbs, seasoning and Parmesan cheese.

I sauteed the breadcrumbs in a skillet with some Olive oil until they just started to turn golden, seasoning them while they cooked.  Add Parmesan and toss.

Remove cooked bread crumbs to a large bowl and place drained artichoke on top.  Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scoop out the inner choke, keeping the shape intact.  You know those photos in Glamour magazine where they show you fashion successes {Glamour Dos} and fashion no nos [Glamour Don’ts}? Well, the above photo is a “Glamour Do.”

This is a “Glamour Don’t!” With the second artichoke I decided to spread the leaves and THEN remove the choke, which as you can see was a bad idea…
because the artichoke was so tender, it just basically gave way.  I managed to salvage this however, just wanted to show you the difference.  I will show you the salvaged version in a minute.

Back to the “Glamour Do.”  I gently spread the leaves from the inside out, leaving a cavity in the center where the inedible part of the choke had been.
Then I began stuffing the filling down into each leaf.  The bowl makes quick work of this.

Then I placed the stuffed beauty into a small baking dish.

and it was ready for a final spin in the oven to brown up a little more and melt the cheese.  You can also hold these in the refrigerator at this point and bake later.

Here is the “Glamour Don’t” artichoke which I placed in another small baking dish to help it hold it’s shape, and carefully stuffed it.  It might not look as pretty as the other one but it tasted just as good!

After a little time in the oven, the artichokes were ready to be enjoyed.  Serve a dipping sauce on the side, you can use some prepared Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing, but I recommend my easy Dreamy Lemon Sauce,  the perfect compliment.

This recipe would make a stunning presentation at your holiday parties! Adding chopped ham, sausage or bacon to stuffing would be delicious.  If you want to try anchovies, just saute them in the Olive oil before you saute the bread crumbs.

I also want to show you another method of preparing this dish

Cut a raw artichoke in half

Remove the choke

For this one, I used fresh bread crumbs and added some red pepper

and just stuff it leaf by leaf

and mound the stuffing in the middle

Place filled chokes in a baking dish with a couple inches of water.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, adding water if necessary to keep the artichokes steaming inside.  Uncover, top with Parmesan and continue baking until brown and melty.

NOTE: I had trouble getting the artichokes tender this way, next time I would partially cook them before halving, until they are just tender but still firm enough not to fall apart, and reduce baking time.  When cooking something like this, times can be so variable, depending on the size of the artichoke, so just leave yourself plenty of time and flexibility.

A sprinkling of parsley and they are party ready.  Impressive side dish or appetizer!

Here’s the recipe:

Please share your successes and failures in the comment section, I would love to hear about them.  Thanks for your visit today!

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