ITALIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Artichoke is a plant, (Cynara scolymus), and commonly consumed as a vegetable.  It is known to reduce nausea, vomiting and indigestion and has shown to lower cholesterol and other fats in the blood.  Artichokes are mainly grown in Italy, Spain, France and the U.S.  California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop, grown in Castroville in Monterey County.

Italian stuffed artichokes are perfect as an appetizer as each leaf is individually removed, gently scraped from the bottom of the leaf with the top of your teeth and eaten.  They are a bit of work to eat, but the flavor and eating experience makes it worthwhile.  They are beloved by every Italian family.  Try this simple recipe, it will have you licking your fingers and asking for more.

The only part of the artichoke that is not edible is the hairy “choke” inside.  Scoop it out and discard the “choke” and the toughest outer leaves.  The “heart” of the artichoke is the best part and is at the bottom of the vegetable, in which all the leaves are attached to.

Ingredients:

1 large artichoke – shared for 2 people

1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs, preferably homemade, seasoned with garlic (2 cloves chopped finely), handful of parsley chopped finely, 3 tbsp of parmigiano cheese, olive oil (mix until breadcrumbs are semi-wet), salt and pepper to taste

1 tblsp of goat cheese (optional)

Sauce for dipping:

2 tbsp of EVO

2 tbsp of white wine

1 tbsp of Parmigiano cheese

1 tbsp of butter

1 tsp of lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.   Wash artichoke throughout, opening it up with your hands.

2.   Cut off the bottom of the artichoke and snip the outer leaves cutting off the sharp/pointed edges.

3.   Open up the leaves and stuff the artichoke throughout (in the center cavity and in as many leaves as you can get) with the breadcrumb mixture.  Top with the goat cheese if desired.

4.   Put in a saucepan with water ¼ of the way up the artichoke.  Cover and steam for about 40 minutes.  Put a fork down the center; If it goes down easily, it is cooked.

5.   Plate in a soup or pasta dish with the heated dipping sauce at the bottom.

To share, cut down the middle, and split in two.