Artichokes are full of nutrients and they contain a ton of protein compared to other vegetables with 3.5 grams per serving plus they are high in fiber and polyphenols which can repair damaged cells that impair your immune function. They are the perfect example of let thine food be thy medicine. And shockingly even my kids love them!
We hope you enjoy Nonna’s recipe!
Ingredients:
- 5 large artichokes
- 2 lemons
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup Fresh parsley, minced
- 4 sprigs of fresh parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 quart seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Grated Locatelli cheese
- ½ cup Grated parmigiano cheese
- Kosher Salt
- Ground black pepper
Directions:
- Fill a large, deep bowl or pot with water and the juice of one lemon. Throw in the peel too. Artichokes turn black quickly after they’ve been cut so you will want to submerge them in lemon water immediately.
- Trim the artichokes by pulling off the first 5-6 outer, bottom leaves. Cut the pointy top off as well as any other sharp edges. Use a vegetable peeler to trim the stem and then cut off the stems so that the artichoke can sit upright in the pot, but conserve them. You will steam them in the pot with the rest of the artichoke, this part will be nice and tender and great eating.
- You will also need to remove the innermost core of the artichoke, being careful not to remove the actual artichoke heart. The part you want to remove is deep inside and it’s cactus like, very sharp and impossible to eat. Use kitchen shears to make this easier. You can cut out the inside and spoon out the rest.
- Slam each artichoke on the counter (open side down) to force it to open a bit more.
- Submerge the artichokes in lemon water.
- In the meantime mix the breadcrumbs with grated cheese, fresh parsley, a little salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Stuff each artichoke with the breadcrumb mixture from the inside out. Including in between each layer of leaves.
- In a large, deep pot place the stuffed artichokes, cloves of garlic, stems, 2 lemon slices and enough water to fill the pot ¼ of the way, about 6 cups. Add more parsley sprigs on top and a very generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Place a lid on top of pot and set over medium-high heat and allow to steam for about 25-30 minutes.
- Peel each leaf off artichoke and use your teeth to pull off just the tender meaty bottom of each. Discard rest of leaf.
