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Stuffed artichokes

Name: Stuffed artichokes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 + 1/2 cups Bread Crumbs; 4 artichokes; 2 lemons; 1 egg, beaten; 1 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese; 1 tbsp parsley, chopped; to taste salt and pepper; 1/3 cup Fontina cheese; 2 tbsp olive oil

4 people

50 min

A delicious filling of melty cheese and garlicky breadcrumbs all stuffed into cooked artichokes. This dish looks as good as it tastes.

Cook

Preparation

in 25 minutes

Cooking

in 25 minutes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling add salt to the water.
Trim the stems of each medium large fresh artichoke so it lies flat on its own.
Lay each artichoke on its side on a cutting board and with a knife cut the top 1/3 off and discard. This will leave you with a flat surface on each artichoke to stuff.
Using kitchen shears carefully clip off the pointy, thorn bits from each leaf and discard. Take the time to do this step, it is necessary.
Cut lemons into wedges.
Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the cut tops and on the bottom of each choke to keep from browning and oxidizing.
Place the artichokes and a few of the lemon wedges into the pot of boiling water. Turn heat down to low and cover slightly. Let simmer until the bottom is tender when a kife is inserted and the outer leaves pull away easily, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. and get a baking dish out large enough to house the 4 artichokes.
Prepare the filling by combining the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley and a bit of salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well till all ingredients are well combined.
Once the artichokes are cooked and tender; drain well leaving them upside down for a few minutes to drain fully and until they are cool enough to handle.
Gently press the leaves back outwardly to open the artichoke. You should see the fluffy, hairy inner choke and prickly leaves. None of this is edible so remove by scraping out the inner fluffy bits with a spoon and pull out any small inner white leaves. Be careful here to not damage the heart.
Fill each artichoke with the stuffing mixture distributing as evenly among them as possible, mounding and packing the filling down slightly into the each choke.
Top each artichoke with grated fontina cheese pressing down as you go. Drizzle a bit more olive oil on top of each choke.
Carefully transfer them into the baking dish and pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the dish and bake at 400 degrees F. until the top crusts are golden brown, about 15 minutes. *The water will ensure the artichokes don't dry out and stay moist.
Serve warm with lemon wedges to garnish.