Nonna's Artichokes
- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 medium artichokes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 anchovy fillets, minced
- 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and minced
- Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half into a bowl of water.
- Working with 1 artichoke at a time, discard the dark green outer leaves.
- Cut off the top 1 inch of the artichoke, then peel and trim the bottom and stem.
- Halve the artichoke lengthwise and scoop out the furry choke.
- Rub with the remaining lemon half and add to the bowl of lemon water.
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- In a saucepan of simmering water, cook the artichoke halves until barely tender, 7 minutes.
- Drain well and pat dry.
- Lightly oil a ceramic baking dish.
- In a skillet, heat 1/2 cup of oil.
- Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat until golden, 4 minutes; discard the garlic.
- Add the anchovies and stir until dissolved.
- Add the artichokes cut side down and cook until crusty on the bottom.
- Flip them and cook until lightly browned, 3 minutes; transfer the artichokes cut side up to the baking dish.
- Let the garlic-anchovy oil cool slightly.
- In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs and cheese.
- Stir in the garlic-anchovy oil and season very lightly with salt and pepper.
- In another bowl, mix the olives and capers with a pinch of pepper.
- Fill the artichoke halves with the olive mixture and top with the bread crumbs.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until the topping is browned and crisp and the artichokes are tender.
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
lemon, artichokes, extravirgin olive oil, garlic, anchovy, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, olives, capers
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/nonnas-artichokes (may not work)