Stuffed Artichokes Recipe, an Italian-American classic
There are many ways to cook an artichoke – most of which require significant pruning and pleading to yield an edible portion. This recipe is a beautiful celebration of all an artichoke has to offer, but requiring minimal trimming.
This recipe comes from Sicilian-American grandmother, Rosetta (Rose) Skittone Urban. Her granddaughter, Hillary Kirkton, is a chef in Portland, OR and recently I had the privilege of her teaching me how to make these.
Click here for more about Rose’s life and her Stuffed Artichokes
The artichokes take about an hour in the oven, so crack open a bottle of Prosecco, and enjoy the symphony of flavors that will start creeping to your nose.
Here are some tips to make sure you pick out a good artichoke.
Stuffed Artichokes
Sicilian-American stuffed artichokes, with delicious garlic, anchovy and bread crumb stuffing. Enjoy with lemon butter and a bubbly white wine. These are a perfect appetizer, and make any meal feel like a party. Yield: 5-6 artichokes, depending on size and how stuffed you like them.
Equipment
- Roasting pan which artichokes will fit in snugly, (or else use aluminum foil to make a band around artichokes)
- Aluminum foil
- Microplane, or box grater
- Small bowl for stuffing, large bowl for discarding leaves
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium Artichokes
- 5 cups plain bread crumbs
- 9 cloves garlic, microplaned or minced fine
- 2 cans anchovies, finely minced
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, about 1 TBSP, 2 TBSP more to drizzle
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Lemon Butter
- 4 oz butter, gently melted
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prep Artichokes
- Using sharp knife, cut off the top of each artichoke and discard. Cut off stem so artichoke can sit flat, and discard.
- Snap off tough, outermost leaves of artichokes, and discard. Use sharp scissors to trim off pointy ends of remaining exterior leaves.
- Now for the fun part: working one by one, firmly grip the artichoke, and smash it leaf side-down on to the cutting board. The idea is to loosen up the leaves enough so you can fit the stuffing inside. Depending on how tough your artichokes are, it might take a good couple of smacks.
Make breadcrumb stuffing
- In medium bowl, measure out breadcrumbs. Add microplaned or finely minced garlic, minced anchovies, grated parmesan, and lemon zest, if using. Add about 1 TBSP of oil – just enough that when you grip the stuffing, it holds lightly together – like a streusel.
- Taste stuffing, and add salt or pepper to taste.
- Take an artichoke, and place it in a small bowl (this will catch any excess breadcrumbs). Working outside in, stuff breadcrumb mixture down into space between leaves. Once you've worked your way into the center of the artichoke, top with generous amount of breadcrumbs, and set aside. Do the same with each artichoke.
Bake Artichokes
- Pour a 1/4" of water into bottom of roasting pan, a hearty pinch of salt to season the water. Wedge prepared artichokes into roasting pan, or alternatively, use aluminum foil to band artichokes together – the idea is that you don't want the artichokes floating around in the water as it might make for a soggy filling.
- Drizzle 1/2 T of olive oil over the top of each artichoke. Cover pan with aluminum foil, and bake in oven for about 1 hour, checking after 40 minutes. Artichokes are done when a leaf pulled from the bottom comes out easily.
Eating the Artichoke
- Make lemon butter by gently melting butter and adding lemon juice. Serve on table with artichokes.
- Get a bowl for discarding leaves. Start with the outermost leaves, and scrape off stuffing and inside of leaf with teeth, dipping in lemon butter when desired. As you get closer to the center, leaves will get more tender.
- Once you reach the choke, use a knife to scrape off tougher bits outside of choke. Use a soup spoon to scoop out fuzzy bits. All you'll have left is the tender, delicious heart. Dunk it in lots of lemon butter, and enjoy.
