Artichokes are an absolute favorite vegetable in our house.  Do you ever wonder who first decided to try to eat this prickly vegetable?  Artichokes originated in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean.  To this day, they feature prominently in the cuisine of both areas.  This recipe is adapted from Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine.  We imagine it’s the Italian influence on the food of New Orleans that created this specialty.  This appetizer requires a bit of preparation but is so delicious!
New Orleans Stuffed Artichokes
Author:
John Lester
Recipe type: Vegetable
Cuisine: New Orleans
Serves: 2
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
This recipe can easily be adapted for more artichokes.
Ingredients
- For the Artichokes
- 2 large artichokes
- 1 lemon, halved
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Water for the pan
- For the Seasoned Bread Crumbs
- 1 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon each Dried Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, salt, and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more to coat artichokes
Instructions
- Cut stems from artichokes so they sit flat.
- Cut upper ⅓ of artichokes off with a very sharp knife. Be careful because the thorns are sharp!
- Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the tops of remaining leaves off to remove the thorns.
- Rub all of the cut surfaces with ½ of the lemon and place cut-side down on a plate.
- Working with one artichoke at a time, remove the center petals and the fuzzy part of the flower beneath them - we find that a grapefruit spoon works perfectly for this task.
- Squeeze lemon juice into the center of the artichoke, and return to plate, placing cut-side down to prevent oxidation.
- Once both artichokes are cleaned, mix together the stuffing.
- For the Seasoned Bread Crumbs
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and seasoning with a fork. Drizzle olive oil into the mixture, stirring until evenly distributed.
- Stuff and Cook the Artichokes
- Turn artichokes right-side up and drizzle with olive oil.
- Working with half of the stuffing mixture, hold artichoke over the bowl and press petals widely . Fill the center and as much in between the leaves of the artichoke as you can.
- Place artichokes right-side up in deep, lidded pot with about 1 inch of water and the reserved lemon half in the bottom.
- Steam over medium-high heat, keeping an eye on the water level and adding more as needed, for 1 hour.
- The artichokes are done when the petals closest to the center can be pulled out easily with a pair of kitchen tongs.
- Serve in bowls and bring a large bowl to the table for discarding the petals as you eat them.
- Cut the artichoke heart with a knife and enjoy it with the remaining stuffing.
Take a look at these past posts for more delicious ways to stuff artichokes:
Stuffed Artichokes (Carciofi Ripieni)
Lyonnaise and Garlic Herb Cheese
Enjoy!
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I am surprised the recipe doesn’t include andouille sausage! Looks great, John!
Artichokes are one of the vegetables I can’t get Kevin to eat. I would love these, myself, though. It’s a gorgeous dish.
It is so funny that the same week you prepared artichokes, I also prepared them. I steamed and them grilled them which took much less preparation than yours. However, whatever time it takes to make an artichoke for lunch or dinner is worth it. Plus, I only need to make one. Love this recipe. Nice work, John. You got to be the slacker in this, Susan, but, knowing you, I suspect you were the good helper. Miss you guys.