A little while ago, I was so lucky to find some amazing artichokes at the markets. I got a tray full of them… and made them in many different ways. Remember my Carciofi alla Trapanese recipe? Those too were part of this batch… Today, I will show you yet another way of preparing a delicious side dish (or appetiser) for the upcoming holidays. This too is a Sicilian recipe, but this time from Palermo, one of the most beautiful cities of Southern Europe. The filling is delicious and we also use it to stuff involtini/meat rolls and peppers. I love the combination of salame and provolone piquant as it gives the stuffing a nice kick. The final result is delicious: soft artichoke hearts with a really tasty filling. Perfect for any occasion. Buon appetito!
Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes
Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes - filled with breadcrumbs, salami and provolone piquant - a tasty way to serve artichokes!
Ingredients
Cooking
- 4 artichokes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Water
Stuffing
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp onion chopped
- 2 tbsp salame chopped
- 2 tbsp provolone piquant chopped
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp diced tomatoes
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
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Put all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix them well. Keep aside.
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Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves and cutting the points and stems (I discard the points and cook the stems separately). Scoop out the purple leaves and hair from the centre and put the artichoke hearts in some water with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
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Fill the artichoke hearts with the stuffing and be generous with it. Make sure to press the stuffing well inside or it may come out while cooking.
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Put the artichokes, upright, in a sauce pan. Add the stems too (make sure to remove the outer part which is hard). Drizzle the top of the artichokes with extra virgin olive oil.
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Pour some water in the saucepan up until it reaches ¼ of the height of the artichokes, taking care not to wet the top of the artichokes or the filling will go all soggy (you may need to add a little more water later, if your artichokes take a bit longer to cook).
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Cook on a low flame, covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the artichokes you are using.
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Serve, warm or at room temperature, with their cooking juices.
I LOVE fresh artichokes!! Oh wow wow, this is fantastic! I know you might think I am weird for getting overly excited about this but the thing is, fresh artichokes are a once or twice a year treat for me (as you say, it’s not every day you come across them when they are affordable!) and there are not that many artichoke recipes around. Ooh, I’m saving this! Thank you for sharing this!!