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The artichoke is a great appetizer that can be made ahead the day before or the morning of your gathering. Of course, I don’t usually wait for a gathering as an excuse to make these. I was very lucky as a child as these were practically a staple in my house. If given the choice of sweets or an artichoke for a snack, I chose the artichoke.

There are many different ways to serve these delicious vegetables that are high in antioxidants. The small artichokes are very tender and are often steamed, grilled or baked and served as a side dish or often added to salads. I also use the small marinated artichokes in a jar to serve as an antipasto.

For those of you who are not familiar with preparing an artichoke for stuffing, I have included a link for you to watch a video to familiarize yourself with the process.

Watch Video here

A good tip for choosing an artichoke, make sure the leaves are tight, they are uniform in color with minimum or no brown spots visible and heavy for its size.

2 large artichokes
1-1/2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbl. dried parsley
2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or run through a garlic press
Kettle of hot water
Olive oil for drizzling

In a medium bowl, add bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, salt, parsley and garlic. Blend well, making sure the garlic is evenly disbursed throughout your mix and put aside. Fill your kettle about 3/4 of the way and boil. Prepare the artichokes by cutting the stem flush with the bottom of the artichoke. Place the artichoke on a flat surface to make sure it stands on its own, if not, trim if needed. Peel the stem, chop it into small pieces and add to the stuffing mix. Repeat for each additional artichoke. Never waste the stem, it’s an extension of the heart in the center of the artichoke! Cut the leaves of the artichoke, refer to the above video if needed. Rinse the artichoke in cold water while spreading the leaves, allowing the water to flow through. Invert and let the remaining water drain out. Since I’m only making two of these, and plan to stuff and cook right away, I didn’t use acidulated water since they didn’t have enough time to oxidize. However, if you decide to make more than two, I highly recommend soaking the artichokes in acidulated water. Have a 3 quart pot ready to place the stuffed chokes into. Using 1/2 the mix, I start stuffing the outside leaves using a spoon to spread the leaves open all while adding the stuffing. The stuffing falls right in between the leaves, it’s much easier using this technique. I typically stuff the first 2-3 rows using a spoon. Once the leaves are stuffed, place the remaining stuffing mix over the top of the choke and press with your hand to work the stuffing around the center of the artichoke. Place the stuffed artichoke into the pot. Repeat with the second artichoke. You want a tight fit so that neither of the artichokes tip over. Once secure in the pot, pour the hot water into the side of the pot, filling it half way up the artichokes. Now, with the remaining water, pour over the artichoke itself slowly using a fine stream of water, making sure you don’t flush the stuffing out of the leaves and wet the whole top of the choke. This will moisten all the stuffing, which is important to ensure even cooking. Once finished, drizzle olive oil over the top of each choke, about a tablespoon for each one. Turn the heat onto medium/high, once the water starts to slightly boil, cover and turn heat to medium, simmer for about 35 minutes. To check if cooked, use a sharp knife and punch into the center of each choke, there should be little resistance and easily go through the bottom of the artichoke. If not, just cook additionally in 5 minute increments until cooked through. Once cooked, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before removing to a platter. Serve at room temperature. Serves 2.