To Trim Artichokes Italian Style Recipes

TO TRIM ARTICHOKES INTO BOTTOMS, ITALIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Halve lemon. Into a bowl of cold water squeeze juice from 1 lemon half and drop squeezed half into water. Do not cut off stems of artichokes. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base and discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until exposed leaves are pale green at top and pale yellow at base.
• With a sharp stainless-steel knife cut off remaining leaves, discarding them (you should have just heart and stem of artichoke). Trim dark green fibrous parts from base of artichoke, being careful not to break off stem. Cut a thin slice from end of stem to expose a fresh cross section. Trim outer green fibrous part from stem, leaving pale core intact. Halve artichoke hearts lengthwise and with a melon-ball cutter or grapefruit spoon scrape out choke and spiky purple-tipped leaves. Rub artichoke all over with cut side of remaining lemon half and put artichoke in bowl of lemon water. Trim remaining artichokes in same manner.

ITALIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, level the bottom of each artichoke and cut 1 in. from the tops. Using kitchen scissors, snip off tips of outer leaves; brush cut edges with lemon juice. Stand artichokes in a Dutch oven; add 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until leaves near the center pull out easily. , Invert artichokes to drain; let stand for 10 minutes. With a spoon, carefully scrape out the fuzzy center portions of artichokes and discard. , In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, pepper and salt. Add olive oil; mix well. Gently spread artichoke leaves apart; fill with bread crumb mixture. , Place in an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until filling is lightly browned.

ITALIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Rinse artichokes well, tugging leaves outward to loosen slightly for stuffing.
• Trim off stems so artichokes sit on a flat surface.
• Trim off the pointed tips of each leaf.
• Set aside.
• In a large bowl combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper.
• Mix well; slowly add the oil till the crumb mixture is moistened enough to stick together.
• You may need to adjust the amount of oil depending on the type and amount of bread crumbs used.
• Stuff each leaf of the artichoke, starting from the bottom and working your way around, with crumb mixture.
• Stuff desired amount of leaves and shake off excess mixture.
• Continue this step with remaining artichokes.
• Place artichokes in a large baking pan and fill bottom of pan with 1/2 to 1 inch of water.
• Drizzle olive oil over top of stuffed artichokes and cover tightly with heavy duty foil.
• Cook on 375 degrees for approximately 60-80 minutes (depending on size of artichoke) or until leave comes out easily.
• Cool for 10 minutes; serve and Enjoy!