The Best Stuffed Artichokes, Italian-Style
Preparing fresh artichokes takes some effort, but it’s worth it because they are so delicious. In The French Laundry Cookbook Thomas Keller says that cleaning artichokes is one of his favorite things to do. I’m just the opposite. When I started out at Louis XVI, I had to clean two cases a day. My fingers were perpetually dried out and stained a nasty tobacco brown, and they didn’t want to come clean, no matter how much lemon I rubbed on them. I still clean the occasional case myself, and cuss under my breath the whole time. So, if you’re not put off by this introduction, read on to learn how to clean, cook, and stuff your way to happiness.
This recipe gives a more arduous but elegant presentation for stuffed artichokes, allowing you to eat the entire thing without creating a pile of tooth-scraped leaves. However, most folks simply trim the top third off the artichoke, cook it, scrape the choke out with a spoon, and stuff it, and that’s fine too. For a delicious appetizer, you could also cut the (chokeless) artichokes in half, add some crabmeat to the stuffing, then bake and serve with a drizzle of lemon butter.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Artichokes
Stuffing
To Assemble
Preparation
Artichokes
Step 1
Grab a pot just large enough to hold the artichokes and fill with cold water. Cut the lemon and the orange in half, squeeze them both into the water, and drop the rinds in as well.
Step 2
For the next part of the process, I use two knives: a small serrated knife (also called a tomato knife) and a sharp paring knife. Lay the artichoke horizontally on a cutting board and with the serrated knife, cut off the top third, which should remove most of the sharp, pointy tips. Holding the artichoke upright in your left hand, snap off two or three of the outer leaves. Take the paring knife in your right hand and, using a sawing, up-and-down motion, but keeping the knife in one place, turn the artichoke against the knife with your left hand so that you are cutting away the outer layer (about 2 leaves deep) of the artichoke. Be careful not to cut too deep, as that will take away some of the bottom, which is the prize. The object is to remove anything that is darker green and get down to the light yellow-green flesh. After you have done that, you will still have a sort of skirt around the bottom and the stem. Turn the artichoke upside down and, with your paring knife pointed at the stem, trim away the tough darker green down to the yellow-green, all around. Then peel the stem with downward strokes of the knife. When you finish, it should all be light yellowish green and should retain its round shape. Place the turned artichoke into the pot and continue with the others. When you are finished, add the bay leaf and some salt to the pot, place it over high heat, and bring to a boil. You may lay a small plate or a piece of parchment or wax paper on the artichokes to keep them submerged. Lower the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. To check for doneness, remove one artichoke with tongs and plunge it into ice water. Carefully open the center leaves to reveal the choke. Dip it in cold water again, as it is usually still hot in the center. Try to pull or push the choke out with your thumb. If you can do this easily, it is ready. If it is still too hard, return the artichoke to the pot and cook 4–5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and cool in the ice water. When ready to use, remove the choke from the artichokes, while still keeping them intact. They are now ready to stuff.
Step 3
At this point you could also slice and sauté the artichokes, fry them, or eat them cold with aïoli or vinaigrette.
Stuffing
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 5
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 4–5 minutes, until wilted. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture from the zucchini is gone, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and cool a few minutes, then add the remaining ingredients (including the remaining olive oil). Taste and adjust the seasoning.
To Assemble
Step 6
Use a spoon to pack the mixture into the artichokes (mostly in the center, but some inside the leaves, too), dividing evenly.
Step 7
Place the stuffed artichokes in a baking pan, add about half an inch of water to the pan, drizzle the artichokes with a little more olive oil, and cover with foil. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes, until stuffing is hot and slightly crusty. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
