Can artichokes be stuffed? You can bet yes. In fact, if we think that olives or mushrooms are also stuffed, the artichoke will even seem like an airplane hangar. It is traditional in the city of Rome (Italy) and used to be prepared for the feast of Saint Joseph (March 19). Despite how complicated it may seem, it is quite simple to do.
The original name of this recipe is Carciofi Ripieni.
INGREDIENTS (4 people)
- 12 artichokes fresh and if possible, large.
- 200 grams (7 oz) minced beef or veal / pork
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese (or any other that melts to gratin)
- The juice of a lemon
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
First we are going to prepare the artichokes. For this we will cut the stem and the tip. In turn, we will remove the hardest outer leaves and with a knife we will remove the heart to make room for the filling. It is important that every time we finish preparing an artichoke we put it in a bowl with water and the juice of a lemon to prevent it from turning black. We leave them there until we finish the filling.
To make the filling, just mix the minced meat with the breadcrumbs, the egg, as well as the finely chopped parsley and garlic and half a teaspoon of salt.
When the mixture is homogeneous, fill each of the artichokes and place them in a plate that can be baked with a finger of water. On each artichoke we place a handful of Parmesan cheese.
We preheat the oven to 190 degrees (374 F) and let them cook for half an hour or until they are soft and somewhat browned by the effect of the heat. At that moment we connect the grill to brown the cheese that acts as "lid", and after 2 or 3 minutes they are ready to serve. Keep and eye on the oven to avoid burn the artichokes !