Growing up, my mom made these somewhat regularly. It’s a delicious, easy meal. And the heart, at the end? It doesn’t get much better than that! Bring some of that Barone childhood back to your home.
Ingredients:
Large Artichokes
Bread Crumbs
Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (alternatively Parmigiano-Reggiano)
Parsley Flakes
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Optional: Finely Minced Fresh Garlic/Garlic Powder
Directions:
Prepping: Cut tops of the artichokes, trim tips off the leaves with kitchen shears, and cut stems flat so they don't roll. Loosen the leaves then rub the end of the leaves with lemon juice.
Stuff: Mix bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper (and garlic) in a large bowl. Over casserole dish or baking sheet, spoon mixture onto the artichokes as well as between each leaf.
Cook: Fill a large pot with an inch of water and place the now stuffed artichokes in the water, making sure water level is below the first stuffed leaf. Better yet, place them in a steamer basket just out of the water. Before you cover the pot, drizzle olive oil over the top of each artichoke. Steam for 1 to 1.5 hours. Add water as needed to maintain the level. You'll know they are ready when the leaves pull easily away from the center.
Optionally, you can then transport the steamed artichokes into a casserole dish and bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Eating: Pull a leaf out and scrape the mixture and top layer (the “meat”) off of each leaf. When you get finished with all the leaves, spoon out from the center all the tiny hairs. This will leave you with the artichoke heart. Add the slightest dash of salt and savor that which you have worked so hard to reach.
Send us pics of how they turned out..I want to see them!
