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Stuffed artichokes aren’t just a great fancy appetizer at a restaurant – they are also a great way to get used to working with artichokes! Stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs, and whatever else you prefer, stuffed artichokes are great when made at home.
Planning to serve your stuffed artichokes at a party? Why not also try making Popcorn Shrimp to go alongside? Or these Delicious Smoky Bacon Deviled Eggs?
Stuffed Artichokes
Artichokes are always a bit of an intimidating vegetable to try and work with.
Prepared incorrectly, they become bitter and gross, and even if you make them right, if you don’t season them properly, they are almost inedible.
However, this recipe makes for some incredibly delicious and simple artichokes because you stuff them so full of cheese, breadcrumbs, and other tasty things that you can’t fail to enjoy them.
How To Pick The Right Artichokes For This Recipe
Artichokes can come in a surprisingly diverse array of shapes and sizes, making it a bit tricky to try and pick one for any particular recipe.
This recipe is all about stuffing artichokes and thus requires a pretty decently sized one.
You want artichokes that feel suitably heavy when you hold it and with big but closed-together leaves to hold all of the stuffing inside.
Make sure that the leaves of your artichoke and tight and closed up and aren’t beginning to open up like a blooming flower.
If the petals are opening, then that is a sign that the artichoke is starting to go off, so make sure only to pick the heavy, tightly wrapped ones.
Another great tip is that a fresh, perfectly in-season artichoke should let out a very slight squeak when you squeeze it. This squeak is the leaves rubbing against one another and is a surprisingly good way to determine the freshness of your artichoke.
How To Use Just The Right Amount Of Water To Cook The Artichokes
This recipe has you essentially steam your artichokes by placing them in a lidded container with only a little bit of salted water.
The reason this works so well is that the indirect heat cooks the leaves gently, helping to melt all of the ingredients together into one without overcooking the entire artichoke and turning it into mush.
Make sure to keep the water level really low, but not so low that the bottom of the artichoke is at all uncovered or exposed.
You want the water level just creeping to the bottom layer of leaves, and not anymore, as this will keep everything nice and moist without becoming horribly overcooked.
Don’t forget to ensure that the pot you are cooking the artichokes in is as tight as it can be, as the steam from the water needs to be staying in the pot for as long as possible to ensure even cooking time.
What To Do If Your Artichoke Is Super Tough?
When perfectly fresh, artichokes should be tender and supple but with a really good weight to them.
However, artichokes are only really in season for a few months at the beginning of the year, with a smaller window for smaller artichokes in the fall.
If you buy an artichoke out of season, you might find that your artichoke is especially tough and thick and that after cooking it, it still remains really rigid and hard to eat.
Luckily, while it might seem like you have ruined your artichoke there is no need to worry.
Cook Them A Little Bit More
Tough artichokes just require a little bit more cooking time to turn perfectly delicious, so just stick it back into the water and give it a little bit extra time.
Just make sure to top up the water in the pot with a bit more water and salt, as if you are re-adding your artichoke back into the pot, the water level might have begun to drop from evaporation.
As long as you give it all the time, it needs to become supple, tender, and delicious; then your stuffed artichokes should turn out amazingly, no matter how underripe your artichokes were to start with.
Looking for more delicious Appetizers and Snack recipes? Try these out:
• Bacon & Brown Sugar Chex Mix
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Stuffed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 6 whole artichokes
- 3 slices Italian bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 green onion (minced)
- ⅛ cup chopped fresh parsley (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup Romano cheese (or parmesan grated)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak artichokes in cold water for 30 minutes.
- To prepare the artichokes: Cut off stems of the artichokes with a sharp knife. Make sure the cut is straight across so artichoke will stand flat.
- Snip the pointed tips of artichoke leaves off. Holding the artichoke firmly by the base, firmly rap the top of it on a hard surface; this will open it so it can be stuffed.
- Squeeze half of the lemon juice inside the artichoke.
- In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, garlic, green onion, parsley, Oregano, grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Fill up each leaf gap with the stuffing until artichokes are well packed.
- Drizzle with olive oil then squeeze more lemon juice over top the artichokes. Sprinkle with a little salt over the top and sides.
- Put artichokes standing up into a wide pot large enough to hold the artichokes so they cannot tip over. Add enough water to cover just to the top of the bottom row of leaves of the artichokes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt in the pot. Cover and let the water come to a boil. Lower the heat and let the artichokes simmer for 50- 60 minutes covered or until leaves are tender and they pull out easily. Add water if needed during simmering so the pot does not dry out.
- Serve warm!
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