Recipe: Stuffed Artichokes

Artichokes can be a mystery to those of us who didn’t grow up with them. Alexandra Wentworth described them in The WASP Cookbook as “vegetables you scrape against your teeth” – not exactly something most of us could serve grandma at a holiday dinner.

But for many Italian Americans, they’re an essential part of family meals. After several kitchen disasters when I tried to make these on my own, I recruited my Italian-American friend Daniela, aka Jib Girl, to demonstrate how to make artichokes two ways: stuffed and grilled. The results were excellent, especially when you follow her technique for prepping the artichokes, stuffing them, and testing to see if they’re done. 

Daniela’s Stuffed Artichokes

8 fresh, firm artichokes (not globe)
1 lemon, cut in half
1 1/2 c. breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. parsley leaves, minced
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
1/3 c. olive oil (not extra-virgin), plus more for pot
kosher salt

The first key is selecting the right artichokes. Do not buy globe artichokes, which don’t lend themselves to stuffing. The artichokes should be firm and squeaky, with no signs of rot. You can buy an extra one to err on the safe side.

Cut off the stem of an artichoke about 1/4 inch from the lowest leaves and set it on its end to make sure it will stand up on its own, like a Christmas tree. Also like a tree, you want there to be adequate space between the lowest leaves and the base for the water bath in the pot.

Then, using a serrated knife, cut off the top of the artichoke about 2 inches down.

With kitchen scissors, neatly snip off the pointy ends of remaining exterior leaves.

Gently spread the artichoke open. Cut out any brown leaves if there are any.

Daniela used an apple corer to bore through the feathery purple choke in the center and remove it – it’s much easier and more effective than doing this with a knife. Put the prepped artichoke in a cold water bath and squeeze half a lemon in.

To prepare the stem, using a paring knife, strip away the tough veins in the outer layer of and add the stem to the lemon water bath. Repeat for remaining artichokes, using extra lemon half for another bowl of water if necessary.

Next we encountered a big problem: all I had on hand was extra-virgin olive oil. It turns out that only the non-Italian Americans among us use the most expensive type of olive oil for everything. If you’re sauteeing or cooking with it, use plain olive oil, which doesn’t turn acrid over high heat.

To make the stuffing, Daniela combined breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and parmesan in a bowl. Then she drizzled olive oil over the breadcrumb mixture and stirred it until it became a moist, crumbly texture like crumb cake. Like many accomplished home cooks, she didn’t measure out the olive oil – but it should be about 1/3 cup or more, until you reach the right texture. (Optional: you can add more herbs, chopped hard boiled egg, or minced anchovies to the breadcrumb mixture as well.)

Take an artichoke out of the lemon water bath, sprinkle with kosher salt and drizzle with olive oil.

Working over a bowl, spread the artichoke leaves further apart and sprinkle the breadcrumb mix into the crevices between leaves and in the center. Do not pack the mixture into the leaves as I erroneously did – you want to maintain a light texture.

Stand artichoke upright in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid and repeat for remaining artichokes, dividing between two similarly heavy pots if necessary. Sprinkle any leftover breadcrumbs in the bowl over artichokes. Season stems with salt and olive oil and add these to the pot.

Pour 1/4 inch of plain olive oil into the bottom of the pot and heat until it begins to sizzle. Pour in another 1/4 inch of water, turn the heat to a lively simmer and cover tightly. Keep a measuring cup of water nearby to add as necessary – you want to keep the water level constant as the artichokes cook. Steam them for 40-45 minutes, rotating every once in a while with tongs to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

When an outside leaf comes off easily, the artichokes are done. Serve warm in large flat-bottomed bowls with extra bowls for discarded leaves. Any lifelong artichoke lovers will thank you profusely, because the know the effort and care that goes into making a delicious stuffed artichoke.