Stuffed Artichokes
Artichokes stuffed with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and melty parmesan cheese are the perfect appetizer or side dish paired with pasta or your favorite Italian meal.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 artichokes
- 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and slightly crushed)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (see note)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp parsley
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Zest and juice the lemon and set aside the zest and juice in two separate bowls. Reserve the squeezed lemon to add to pot when cooking artichokes.
- Prepare the artichokes for cooking by trimming the stem off flat. Peel each stem and keep to cook along with the artichoke if desired. Next trim the top inch or so off each artichoke with a sharp knife. If desired, use a kitchen scissors to trim the sharp point off each remaining leaf tip.
- Fill a large, wide pot with about 1 and a half inches of water, the zested and squeezed lemon, and a clove of garlic that has been lightly crushed. Bring to boil and add the artichokes (stem side down), and stem pieces, if cooking. Cover and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes.
- While artichokes cook, prepare the stuffing mixture by mixing lemon zest, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, olive oil, and lemon juice.
- When artichokes are finished boiling, a fork should slide easily into the stem and an outer leave should pull off with little resistance. (The leaves should not be falling off.) Remove artichokes from water (draining any extra water stuck in the leaves) and set aside to cool slightly until able to handle.
- To stuff artichokes, gently pull each leaf outward, take a small spoon, and add a small spoonful of the breadcrumb mixture to each leaf. Start on the outer leaves and work your way around and in the artichoke pulling each leaf gently to stuff. Stuff each leaf until you get to the tight inner leaves with the purple tips.
- Place artichokes (and stem pieces) in a casserole dish and drizzle each artichoke with the butter mixture (trying to get butter in between each leaf).
- Cover casserole dish with foil, and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake 10 minutes longer.
Notes
While you can definitely use store bought breadcrumbs to make these stuffed artichokes, I think that homemade breadcrumbs bring this to the next level. Plus, I like to use wholewheat bread for the breadcrumbs - it makes it a little healthier and I think the breadcrumbs have a nice nutty flavor.
To make homemade breadcrumbs:
- Put about 5 - 6 slices of bread in a food processor or blender
- Pulse until uniformly small
- Spread breadcrumbs out on a large baking sheet in an even layer
- Toast in a 350° oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until dry and slightly toasted
https://namastehomecooking.com/