Stuffed Artichokes
Stuffed artichokes are a family favorite, a favorite we inherited from Robin's family. Besides being quite tasty, artichokes make for a very relaxed dining experience. In this recipe, we replace the usual store-bought dried bread crumbs with fresh. Originally served as part of: Filet Mignon and Stuffed Artichokes.
- Nanny's Stuffed Artichokes (March 30, 2003)
Ingredients
- 2 large artichokes
- 1 cup leftover 2 day old ciabatta bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon italian flat leaf parsley (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons Pecorino romano cheese (Locatelli) (grated)
- to taste salt & pepper
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
We start by making our fresh bread crumbs. We slice the slightly stale bread and put in the food processor. We turn it on and let it go until the crumbs are small. We pour a cup of the crumbs into a large bowl and store the remaining in an airtight container in the freezer for future use. In another bowl, we submerge the artichokes in water to remove any dirt. We let soak while we mix the bread crumbs with the garlic, parsley, romano cheese, and salt and pepper.
We remove the artichokes from the water and drain. We then prepare them by cutting off the stem so that it will sit flat. We also cut off about an inch of the top. We could also trim each leaf with scissors to be more elegant, but we do not bother here. We rub the artichokes with lemon to keep them from turning brown. We do not bother to try and remove the inner "hairy part" which is very fibrous. We will remove it with a spoon as we eat them.
We then spoon the bread crumb mixture in between the artichoke leaves, spreading the leaves to get the mixture into the artichoke.
In our dutch oven, we add an inch or two of water (about three cups in our 5 quart dutch oven). We add the bay leaves and squeeze the lemon half into the water and bring the water to a boil. We put the artichokes into the water. We drizzle the olive oil over the artichokes and simmer on low for about an hour.
When the artichokes are tender when pierced on the bottom with a knife, we remove them from the water. We serve hot.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (from 2-day-old ciabatta)
- 2 large artichokes
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp Italian parsley (chopped)
- 3 tbsp Pecorino Romano (Locatelli) (grated)
- salt and pepper
- ½ lemon
- 3 cups water
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Slice the stale bread and grind it in a food processor into small crumbs. Measure 1 cup into a large bowl and freeze the rest.
Kid job
Soak the artichokes in a bowl of water to loosen any dirt. Meanwhile, mix the crumbs with the garlic, parsley, Romano, salt and pepper.
Grown-up
Drain the artichokes. Cut off the stems so they sit flat and cut about an inch off the tops. Rub with the lemon.
Kid job
Spread the leaves and spoon the crumb mixture in between them.
Grown-up
Put an inch or two of water in a dutch oven with the bay leaf and squeeze in the rest of the lemon. Bring to a boil, set the artichokes in, drizzle with the oil, and simmer on low about 1 hour, until a knife slides easily into the bottom. Serve hot, scooping out the fuzzy choke as you eat.