Roman-Style Stuffed and Braised Artichokes
- 4 whole lemons
- 6 medium artichokes
- 6 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 6 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 3/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
- 3/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves
- 1 3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 thin slices fresh lemon
- Grate the zest of 2 of the lemons and reserve.
- Squeeze the juice from 1 of the zested lemons into a large bowl filled halfway with cool water.
- Set aside.
- Juice the remaining 3 lemons and reserve the juice.
- Cut the stems off of the artichokes so that they will stand upright.
- Remove any tough or blemished outer leaves and, using a sharp knife, cut off the top 1/4 of the artichoke.
- Using kitchen shears, cut the thorns from the tips of the remaining leaves.
- Using your fingers, gently pry the leaves apart to reveal the inner choke and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop out some of the inner leaves and the fuzzy choke and discard.
- This should leave a sizable cavity in the center of each artichoke for stuffing.
- Repeat with the remaining artichokes, transferring artichokes to the acidulated water as soon as they are trimmed and cleaned.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, reserved lemon zest, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, 6 tablespoons of the reserved lemon juice, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
- Add 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of warm water and mix thoroughly.
- The crumb stuffing should be moist enough to clump together when pinched between your fingers.
- Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Working 1 at a time, remove the artichokes from the lemon water and invert to drain thoroughly.
- Using a small spoon, fill the cavities of the artichokes with the stuffing, pressing downward as you add the stuffing.
- You should have enough stuffing to fill all 6 cavities of the artichokes as well as stuff some of the large outer leaves.
- Drizzle each artichoke with 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil.
- In a wide saucepan large enough to hold the artichokes in 1 layer, place the artichokes, stem side down and stuffing up, and add about 1-inch of cold water; it should come up to the bottom of where the leaves begin.
- Add any remaining lemon juice and the remaining olive oil.
- Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook, covered, until the leaves pull away easily from the artichokes and the heart is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove the artichokes from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.
- Serve the artichokes either warm or at room temperature.
- Garnish with lemon slices.
lemons, artichokes, bread crumbs, romano, garlic, parsley, mint leaves, extravirgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, thin slices fresh lemon
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/roman-style-stuffed-and-braised-artichokes-recipe.html (may not work)