These bread-crumb-stuffed artichokes are a far cry from the heavy, soggy versions you might have encountered. The filling is light and flavorful, just enough to season the artichokes without weighing them down. Whenever I eat an artichoke, I think of a line from the old movie Pat and Mike. Spencer Tracy played Mike, a sports promoter, Katharine Hepburn played Pat, a champion golfer and all-around athlete. Singing Pat’s praises, Mike says, “Not much meat on her, but what’s there is ‘cherce.’” Artichokes don’t have much meat on them either, but what’s there is, indeed, choice. The trick is getting to it. Trimming artichokes isn’t difficult, but it does take a bit of time. And they darken quickly once they are cut, so it helps to drop them into a lemon-water bath. You can use the squeezed-out lemon to lighten any artichoke stains on your hands.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 6 medium artichokes (about 8 ounces each)
- ½ cup plain dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Fill a large bowl with water and add lemon juice.
- With a large knife, trim off the top 1 inch of each artichoke. Cut off the stems of the artichokes. Peel off the tough outer skin of the stems with a vegetable peeler and put the stems in the bowl. Rinse the artichokes well under cold water.
- Working with one artichoke at a time, bend back and snap off the small leaves around the base. With kitchen shears, trim the pointed tips off the remaining leaves. To remove the choke, gently spread the artichoke leaves apart and use a small knife or a sharp spoon with a rounded tip to scrape out the fuzzy leaves in the center. Drop the artichoke into the lemon water.
- Pat the stems dry. Finely chop them. In a small bowl, mix the stems with the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to moisten the crumbs evenly.
- Drain the artichokes.
- Holding an artichoke over the bowl of stuffing, push some of the bread crumb mixture into the center and between the leaves. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. Place the artichokes in a pot just wide enough to hold them upright.
- Pour water to a depth of about ¾ inch around them and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Cover the pot and place it over medium heat. When the water comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low.
- Cook until the artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced with a knife and a leaf pulls out easily, about 45 minutes.
- Add additional water if needed to prevent scorching.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
VARIATION:
- Sicilian cooks often leave out the cheese and add some chopped anchovies and capers to the bread crumb mixture.
