Tuscan Stuffed Artichokes

Since we've really made an effort to eat as much locally sourced produce as we can over the course of the past 2 years or so, that means taking advantage of vegetables during their actual season. It is now or next year for many vegetables with a relatively short growing season.  

Recently,a local farm was offering bulk artichokes.  For $32, they were offering a half-bushel of these unusual vegetables. Based on general size-grading, that is 24 artichokes per count. As I had just been to the local grocery store and had seen artichokes priced at close to $5 a pop, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to try these super fresh, locally grown gems.

I messaged the farmers and asked how to make arrangements to get the goods. Lucky for me, they were able to deliver direct to my door. Either they are incredibly nice, or just that they are trying all means necessary to get rid of this bumper crop of 'chokes, but when they were delivered to my door, they gave me an extra half dozen artichokes (a farmer's bushel rather than a baker's dozen, I guess?)

So, with giant bag o' overgrown thistles in hand, the gauntlet was thrown. Let the games begin! 

The first night was easy - simple steamed artichokes. They were absolutely wonderful. Even though they are rather large in size, they are quite young as none of them that I prepared that night had the unpalatable furry choke at the center. That meant that other than the tough outer leaves, the rest of the vegetable could be eaten straight down to that delicious heart.

The next night, these Tuscan Stuffed Artichokes were the featured item. El Syd has fond memories of his mother making a similar dish when he was a kid, so it was fun to make them for him. 

In order to make these, you must first prepare the artichokes for stuffing. 

• It is important to thoroughly rinse the artichokes and even give them a light brush with a vegetable brush as this will help to remove the natural light film that the artichoke produces as it grows. This film can give the artichoke a bitter taste if not removed. 
• If you're planning on standing the artichokes up in a pan, you'll need to trim off the stem. Since the stem (or at least the core of it) is a continuation of the artichoke heart (the best part of the whole thing), only trim it if absolutely necessary. Also, trim the top off about one inch down from the top of the artichoke. To pretty the whole thing up, use scissors or kitchen shears to cut the tips of each of the leaves as they typically have a small thorn on the top. If you're going to cook them later, rub the cut edges with a lemon to keep them from browning, or you can submerge them in lemon water until you're ready to cook them.
• To get them ready for stuffing, I like to remove the center leaves to make a hole or pocket for a bunch of filling. For larger, more mature artichokes, it is easier to lightly steam them and then remove those center leaves and that fuzzy choke before stuffing. For young, tender artichokes (like the ones I have now) a sharp tug at those center leaves have them coming out and with no fuzzy choke, they are ready for stuffing.

Tuscan Stuffed Artichokes 

• 4 medium artichokes
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp fresh, toasted breadcrumbs
• 1/8 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
• 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare artichokes for stuffing. Spread the leaves open slightly so that you have more nooks and crannies into which the stuffing can fall.
2. Combine all ingredients, except the artichokes. Using a small spoon, fill the cavities of the artichokes with the stuffing mixture. 
3. Place stuffed artichokes into a baking dish (if you pared off longer stems, you can use them as supports at the base of the artichokes - make a grid).
4. Add 1/2 inch of water into the bottom of the dish and add a tablespoon of olive oil.
5. Tightly cover the dish with foil and bake until the artichokes are tender (time will vary depending on if you slightly steamed them or not, and their size. For a medium to large artichoke that was totally raw, allow about 45 minutes. ) 
6. Serve warm or at room temp. To eat: To eat, pull off the leaves and scrape them along your bottom teeth, picking up stuffing as you go. For the outer leaves, you're just removing the pulp and will be tossing the very fibrous tops. As you get closer to the center, the leaves will become more and more tender and you'll be able to eat more and more of the leaf. Once you eat all of the leaves, cut the heart into chunks and eat with remaining stuffing on the plate.

If you've only ever had artichokes that have been frozen or from a can, I highly recommend this way of preparing the fresh variety. The crispy savory seasoning is a fabulous match for the natural sweetness of the artichoke flesh. Once you get the hang of it, they aren't nearly as scary as they seem at first look. 

Seven down; 23 more to go....ideas?

Happy Cooking!

sld

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