i'm in NYC for only two days. a whirlwind trip doing something very fun which, at this point, has to remain a secret... waaahhh! i'm staying with my Granny, instead of at a lonely hotel. my half italian Grandma is one of the best cooks i know, between her and my mom, that's definitely where i got my love of quick, easy, healthy and delicious home cooking.
she had these artichokes waiting for me when i got in to NYC, so i snapped a pic and now have her sitting beside me on the couch, dictating the recipe... which is hard for her since she, like me, never measures anything!
Mr. Granny's Stuffed Artichokes (vegan/gluten-free optional)
What You Need:
- 4 artichokes
- italian flavored breadcrumbs (if you want to make this gluten free, use gluten free breadcrumbs by toasting gf bread till crispy then crumble and add italian seasoning)
- fresh italian parsley
- 2 chopped cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 1 lemon
- salt
- prepare your artichokes by cutting off the stems, trim the spiky point off the outer leaves with scissors and chop the top with a knife so you have a flat top.
- put a pot of water on the stove to boil with at least a teaspoon of salt and some lemon juice in the water (the lemon keeps the cut part of the artichoke from turning brown).
- boil your artichokes for about 15 minutes, depending on size they might need a little more if they're large.
- remove from water, let cool, remove the tiny spiky inner leaves with your hands and a small spoon to scrape out the 'choke' aka the hair-like (inedible) fibers in the center.
- for the filling, chop your 2 cloves of garlic and a hand-full of parsley and saute in a sploosh of good olive oil in a small sauce pan.
- once the garlic is soft (not burned!) sprinkle your parsley/garlic mixture with about a half cup of breadcrumbs and mix all together - you may need to add more olive oil so your breadcrumbs are all moistened.
- stir to toast the breadcrumbs a bit and then spoon the mixture into the hollow center of each artichoke.
- serve warm or chilled - Granny served them chilled and they were bomb!!!
