The recipe for stuffed artichokes requires only a little patience for cleaning there vegetables ….. but the final result is always rewarding ….. tasty and choreography. Here is my recipe:
Ingredients for 4 servings: 4 artichokes, 4 anchovies (in oil), 10 tablespoons of bread crumbs, 1 mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, 1 clove of garlic, 4 potatoes, 1/2 glass of white wine, extra virgin olive oil, 1 lemon, vegetable broth, salt.
Clean the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves and the tip. For this recipe I‘ve used the artichoke type without thorns (violet artichokes) and I cut them to about half their height. Completely cut the stem creating a flat base so that they can be cooked in feet in a saucepan. From the stems get the inside marrow clear, and cut it into small pieces for subsequent cooking with potatoes. With a corer and a boxcutter create a cavity in the center of the artichokes by removing the inner smaller leaves and beard. Immediately place the artichokes in a bowl with water acidified with lemon juice (along with the marrow of the stems) so it does not blacken. Bring to boil water in a pot, add a little lemon juice and boil artichokes for 5 minutes so that their outer leaves get soft. Drain vegetables and allow them to dry on a kitchen cloth. In the meantime, prepare the filling: cut the mozzarella cheese into cubes and let it drain of any water. Warm up in a pan 2 tablespoons of olive oil with a clove of garlic and dissolve anchovies (previously cut into pieces); remove then the garlic and add the breadcrumb, the chopped parsley and salt. Pressing with your hands outward slightly enlarge the leaves of the artichokes and place in the middle a bit ‘of mozzarella
Pour a teaspoon breadcrumb mixture over the cheese and press firmly
Make another layer with mozzarella and then again a layer with the bread and parsley. Pushing with the tip of a teaspoon add a little ‘bread flavored with parsley and anchovies also widened between the leaves of the artichokes
In a large and not too short saucepan , put a tablespoon of oil, the potatoes, the internal parts of the stems, and stuffed artichokes
Cook for a few minutes with the lid, add the white wine and, after about 10 minutes two tablespoons of broth. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring (or rather moving potatoes and artichokes with a wooden spoon) from time to time for about 30 minutes. Check that everything does not dry out too much and possibly add some more broth. Also add a pinch of salt over the potatoes. The cooking time varies based on the type and size of artichokes used as well as by the initial short boiling. After cooking the artichokes will present looks like this:
