Circle B Kitchen
Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer
1 large artichoke (the leaves should be tightly closed to the body of the artichoke)
1 lemon, halved
Stuffing:
½ cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 medium shallot, minced
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup grated asiago cheese
½ tsp each of salt and fresh ground pepper
juice of 1/2 of the lemon (reserve the other half for finishing)
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut the stem off of the artichoke. Place the artichoke in the boiling water stem side up (if it will cooperate) and cook for about an hour. The leaves should almost fall off the artichoke when it’s ready. Drain upside down until cool enough to handle.
While the artichoke is boiling, saute the garlic and shallot in a little olive oil until soft. Let cool. Mix the rest of the stuffing ingredients together and then add the garlic and shallot to the mix.
Remove the leaves from the artichoke, reserving only the largest ones with the most heart still attached. Remove the choke from the heart (it should be easy to scoop out with a spoon or you can use a knife). Cut the heart up into tiny dice and add it to the stuffing mix.
Arrange the leaves on a baking sheet and drop a teaspoon or two of stuffing onto each leaf. Spray the leaves with a fine mist of olive oil (or lightly drizzle) to keep them from drying out while cooking. Broil for 10 to 12 minutes or until the stuffing is nicely browned.
Place the leaves on a serving platter, drizzle with a little olive oil and the juice of the remaining half of the lemon. Sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese and serve immediately.