Simple Stuffed Artichoke Appetizer Food

STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cook's Note: Before starting this recipe be aware that there is a lot of waste involved in artichokes. It's ok. Just accept it and move on.
• Squeeze 1 lemon into a large bowl filled with water and place the lemon halves in the water.
• Cut off the pointy tops of the artichokes. Remove and reserve the stem of the artichoke. Peel off the tough green outer leaves and discard.
• Gently spread the leaves of the artichoke. Using a melon baller, scoop out the hairy "choke" in the center of the artichokes. When clean reserve them in the lemon water. Remove the tough outer skin on the stems and reserve them in the lemon water as well.
• In a small bowl combine the garlic, herbs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, crushed red pepper, pine nuts and anchovies, if using. Finely chop the reserved artichoke stems and add them to the bowl. Zest and juice the remaining lemon and add that to the bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until the mixture forms a paste. Season with salt.
• Stuff the artichokes with the paste.
• Place the artichokes standing up in a saucepan large enough to accommodate them. Add the wine to the saucepan and enough lemon water to come 3/4 up the sides of the artichokes. Add the lemon halves to the pan also. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt.
• Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the base of the artichokes are tender when poked with a fork.
• Serve hot or room temperature drizzled with generous amount of olive oil.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Trim off and discard the stems of the artichokes, leaving about 1/2 inch. Scrub the artichokes clean under running water. Using sharp scissors, cut 1/2 inch off the top of each leaf, and with a very sharp knife slice about 1-inch off the top of the artichoke.
• To a large kettle of boiling salted water, add 2 or 3 whole garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the artichokes, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes, or until tender. Remove them carefully with tongs or a big slotted spoon, and place them upside-down on a rack to drain as they cool.
• To make the filling, cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice and chop the remaining garlic. Mix the tomatoes and garlic with the chopped herbs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a touch of vinegar or lemon juice if you want it. Stir in most of the bread crumbs, check the consistency, then stir in more as needed to make a fairly thick mixture. Finally, add the Parmesan.
• When the artichokes are cool enough to handle turn them right side up and gently pull open the leaves from the center of each one. Pull out the thin leaves from the very center and then scrape out the fibrous choke with a teaspoon.
• Spoon some of the filling into the center cavity of each artichoke, then spoon a bit more here and there between the leaves. Distribute it evenly between the 6 artichokes, using about 2/3 cup for each. A little bit more olive oil can be drizzled over the artichokes just before serving.
• Serve these at room temperature or chilled, and don't hold them longer than 3 or 4 hours.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Mix 3 cups breadcrumbs, 3 grated garlic cloves, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 cup each grated parmesan, pecorino, chopped parsley and olive oil in a bowl. Trim 4 large artichokes (see Cook's Note), removing the stems. Separate the leaves; stuff the crumb mixture between each. Stand upright in a steamer basket over simmering water, cover and steam over medium-low heat, adding more water as needed, until tender, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and some of the cooking liquid.

STUFFED ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pulse together the cream cheese, lemon zest, garlic, 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a food processor until smooth. Add the heavy cream and pulse until combined.
• Arrange 1 box of artichokes around the perimeter of a 4-quart oval casserole dish with the stems pointing inward. Arrange any remaining artichokes in the box in the center of the dish. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture over the artichokes making sure that the edges of the artichokes around the border are not covered. Repeat with the remaining box of artichokes and cream cheese mixture.
• Mix together the panko, butter and remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the casserole making sure not to fully cover the exposed artichoke tips. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, anchovy, chile flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon into the bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemon in a small bowl with the oil, then drizzle the lemon juice mixture into the breadcrumb mixture and mix with a fork until well combined and the mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in the Parmesan and set aside until ready to use.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and drop in the lemon halves. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off all but 1/2-inch of the stem. Use a serrated knife to slice about 1 inch off of the top. Use kitchen shears to trim the point off each leaf, removing 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Use your fingers to gently pull open the center leaves of the artichoke then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the fuzzy choke in the middle. (Note that removing the choke takes some effort and will make eating the final product much more enjoyable.) Submerge the cleaned artichoke in the lemon water to prevent browning and repeat with the remaining artichokes.
• Working with one artichoke at a time, remove from the water and use a clean kitchen towel to pat dry. Gently pull apart the leaves on each layer and stuff with the breadcrumbs over the bowl to avoid a mess, pressing lightly as you stuff (you will use about 2/3 cup stuffing per artichoke). Gently set the stuffed artichoke in a 9-by-9-inch casserole dish (do not use glass) or a large cast-iron skillet, standing it up on the flat stem if possible, or gently resting on the side if not. Note that you will want the artichokes to be snug in the dish to remain upright during baking. Repeat with the remaining artichokes and breadcrumbs.
• Pour the wine and 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the pan. Slice the remaining lemon into rounds and nestle them into the liquid. Tightly cover the dish with foil and bake until the artichokes leaves are tender and can be easily pulled off, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and increase the temperature to 500 degrees F.
• Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the dish with tongs and place onto a serving plate. Serve with the cooking liquid lemon slices.

SIMPLE 'STUFFED-ARTICHOKE' APPETIZER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425ºF.
• Arrange artichokes in concentric circles on bottom of 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray.
• Combine cheese, bread crumbs, garlic and 1 Tbsp. oil; sprinkle over artichokes. Drizzle with remaining oil.
• Bake 30 min. or until heated through.

THE BEST STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cut top 1/4 of an artichoke off and discard. Trim off the top 1/2 inch from remaining leaves. Cut off bottom inch from stalk to create a flat bottom. Turn artichoke upside down and bang on surface to loosen the leaves. Zest 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest from the lemon and set aside. Cut lemon in half and rub cut leaves and stem of artichoke with lemon. Repeat artichoke prep with remaining artichokes.
• Combine reserved lemon zest with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir well.
• Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly into all the artichoke leaves, avoiding the thistle leaves in the direct center. Work mixture evenly into each crevice of each artichoke until all of the mixture is used.
• Pour water in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Add remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Set artichokes in the pot so that they are touching, so that they may remain upright during cooking. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the leaves release very easily, about 1 hour.
• Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with more parsley if desired. Serve warm or room temperature.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Squeeze the lemons into a large bowl filled with water. Place the lemon halves in the water.
• Cut off the pointy tops of the artichoke. Remove some of the tough outer leaves. Remove the stem of the artichoke and peel off the tough green outer layer and reserve in the lemon water.
• Gently spread the leaves of the artichoke. Using a melon baller, scoop out the hairy choke in the center of the artichoke. When the arties are clean reserve them in the lemon water.
• In a small bowl combine the garlic, herbs, pecorino, bread crumbs, and crushed red pepper. Finely chop the reserved artichoke stems and add them to the bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until the mixture forms a paste. Season with salt.
• Stuff the artichokes with the paste.
• Place the artichokes, flat side down, in a saucepan large enough to accommodate them.
• Add the wine to the saucepan and enough lemon water to come 3/4 way up the sides of the artichokes. Add the lemon halves to pan also. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt.
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the base of the artichokes are tender when poked with a fork.
• Serve hot or cold drizzled with olive oil.
• May - Why We Love: Artichokes

BAKED ARTICHOKE APPETIZER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Spray a 4-cup casserole dish with Pam, or lightly grease it; set aside.
• Chop drained artichokes and place in a mixing bowl.
• Add all other ingredients and combine; put mixture into casserole dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
• Serve with crackers, melba toast, or your favourite dippers.

STUFFED ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• If necessary, slice off the bottom of each artichoke heart so that it sits upright.
• In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic, chives, salt and pepper.
• Stuff hearts with cream cheese mixture, mounding slightly on top.
• Roll stuffed hearts in melted butter and then in Parmesan cheese.
• Place in a shallow ovenproof dish and bake for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.