Stuffed Artichokes

This entry comes via Tony DelPrete and the story might be almost as good as the recipe! Thanks, Tony!

On the night that Father Giovanetti came for dinner, Marie Antoinette (Aunt Du) was serving artichokes. As each member of the family took a leaf and scraped the tasty mix between their teeth, Father watched and followed their lead. Except, never having eaten an artichoke before, he would simply kiss each leaf and lay it on his plate. Finally, Pubby, laughing in that soft, forgiving manner, explained and showed Father how to savor the artichoke “meat” and herbs, a labor of love we enjoy to this day.

This word-of-mouth recipe was handed down by Grams, which she claims was from her mom and her mom before her. Here I have attempted to capture the traditional pinch of this and dash of that ingredients list. This takes a lot of time and effort (not to mention pricked fingers), but the end results are well worth it. I’ve also streamlined the process- skip down to "Quick Chokes" to enjoy virtually the same taste in a fraction of the time

Ingredients
Artichokes, about the size of your fist and soft to the touch
Salt, pepper
Fresh garlic and parsley (celery and onions can be added, too)
Seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Directions
Cut stalks off artichokes at the base (save for stuffing later). Turn artichoke on its head and push down so leaves open. Either soak in salt water or boil to make leaves tender. Pare stalks to reveal white heart. Dice along with garlic, celery and onions. Stand artichokes in roaster and begin stuffing. Add salt and pepper first, then herbs. Make sure to push liberal amounts of diced herbs into leaves, but watch for sharp spines. Sprinkle grated parm throughout leaves, then bread crumbs. Push chopped parsley down into mix. Drizzle olive oil over everything. Fill roaster with water so that only top of artichoke is revealed. Cook at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours, basting with juices and replenishing water as it cooks down. Pull leaves occasionally to test whether done; meat should come easily off leaf.

Quick Chokes

Ingredients
Frozen artichoke hearts or, if in brine, rinse before preparing
Salt, pepper (garlic salt, if you must)
Fresh garlic and parsley (celery, onions can be added, too)
Seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Directions
Warm olive oil in pot. Add garlic, celery, onions and blanche lightly. Add artichoke hearts in pot along with parsley. Stir in salt and pepper, then bread crumbs and more olive oil, as needed As ingredients become warm, remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese to taste.

Cin dun!