Carciofi Ripieni - Stuffed Artichokes
Artichokes are a plant from the Mediterranean, mainly Sicily and Greece. However they have been cultivated for a very long time in Castroville, San Francisco since the 1930's, and are said to have been one of Marilyn Monroe's favourites.
When shopping for artichokes, they should be dark green in color, feel heavy and leaves should be tight, if the leaves are open they may be tough which would be better suited for soup or boiled and placed in pasta dishes.
For this dish, the artichokes are eaten with your hands. Each leaf is pulled off and holding the pointed end in your fingers, drag the leaf between your teeth. Most of the edible portion of the leaf is on the inside bottom. When serving artichokes, place an empty bowl at the table for the leaves that are discarded.
Ingredients:
4 medium artichokes
2 cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 tbsp parsley
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
4 eggs
1 cup of water
Bertolli olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Remove outer leaves of the artichokes, trim stem to make a flat bottom and cut off about 1/2 inch of the tops of the artichokes with a very sharp knife. Place artichokes in a bowl of water with a 1/2 squeezed lemon, this will stop the artichokes from darkening. For the mixture, mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper. Spread leaves apart with one hand while filling the top of the artichoke with the mixture with the other hand. Place artichokes in a pot with 1 cup of water. Sprinkle olive oil on top and add a bit of salt and pepper. Cover with lid, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for about a 1/2 hour. Once done the leaves of the artichokes should pull off easily.
Buon Appetito!
When shopping for artichokes, they should be dark green in color, feel heavy and leaves should be tight, if the leaves are open they may be tough which would be better suited for soup or boiled and placed in pasta dishes.
For this dish, the artichokes are eaten with your hands. Each leaf is pulled off and holding the pointed end in your fingers, drag the leaf between your teeth. Most of the edible portion of the leaf is on the inside bottom. When serving artichokes, place an empty bowl at the table for the leaves that are discarded.
Ingredients:4 medium artichokes
2 cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 tbsp parsley
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
4 eggs
1 cup of water
Bertolli olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Remove outer leaves of the artichokes, trim stem to make a flat bottom and cut off about 1/2 inch of the tops of the artichokes with a very sharp knife. Place artichokes in a bowl of water with a 1/2 squeezed lemon, this will stop the artichokes from darkening. For the mixture, mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper. Spread leaves apart with one hand while filling the top of the artichoke with the mixture with the other hand. Place artichokes in a pot with 1 cup of water. Sprinkle olive oil on top and add a bit of salt and pepper. Cover with lid, bring to a boil and cook on low heat for about a 1/2 hour. Once done the leaves of the artichokes should pull off easily.
Buon Appetito!
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