Baked Stuffed Artichokes

Recipe from: Saveur.com
Servings: 4

First, a little bit about Artichokes:
Artichokes are thistles, which is a family of flowering plants characterized by prickly leaves. Although they’re typically cooked whole, only parts of the artichoke are edible. The outside of the bulb features dark green leaves, which are stringy, fibrous, and not meant to be eaten. At the base of each leaf, though, there’s a tiny bit of soft flesh, which is the part you eat. The outermost layers tend to be the toughest, and the leaves get softer as you get closer to the center. The smaller, more tender leaves with purple tips can be treated like the green ones. As you get further towards the center, there’s the aptly named choke, a cluster of tightly woven fibers, which are not edible. Finally, you reach the heart — the meatiest part of the artichoke (this is what you get in a jar of store-bought marinated artichokes). Be careful when you reach the purple leaves at the very center — they tend to be prickly, so use a kitchen towel to discard them. When you reach the choke (the fuzzy bit), scrape it off with a spoon or carefully slice it off, and discard. All that’s left now is the heart, which is edible.

And now, a Baked Stuffed Artichokes Recipe:
Stuffed with bread crumbs and Pecorino Romano, these artichokes are a satisfying side dish.

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Ingredients

  • 4 large, full-size artichokes
  • 1 lemon, halved GreenStar Basics
  • 1 3⁄4 cups dried bread crumbs GreenStar Basics
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1⁄3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil GreenStar Basics

Preparation

  1. Prep the Artichoke for Cooking: Using a sharp chef’s knife, start by removing the stem by slicing it off at the base of the bulb to make a flat bottom. Next, cut off about one inch from the top of the bulb (right around where it starts to taper). Pull off any small, dark leaves near the base and discard. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim off about a third of an inch from each leaf around the perimeter. Rinse the trimmed artichokes under cold running water while gently separating the leaves with your fingers to remove any dirt hidden between the leaves. Rub cut parts with lemon halves. Open artichoke leaves with your thumbs to make room for stuffing; set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, 3⁄4 cup pecorino, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Working with one artichoke at a time over bowl, sprinkle one-quarter of bread crumb mixture over the artichoke and work it in between leaves. Transfer stuffed artichoke to a shallow baking dish. Drizzle each artichoke with 1 Tbsp oil. Pour in boiling water to a depth of 1″. Rub 1 Tbsp olive oil on a sheet of aluminum foil, cover artichokes with foil (oiled side down), and secure foil tightly around dish. Bake until a knife easily slides into the base of an artichoke, about 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle tops with remaining cheese, and switch oven to broil. Broil until tops of artichokes are golden brown, about 3 minutes.


Nutritional Information

Artichokes are a good source of vitamin C, folate, potassium, magnesium and dietary fiber.

GreenStar Basics

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